History
Construction of the western segment of the beltway was to begin in 1999, but was delayed by a lawsuit aimed at the Environmental Impact Statement. After the legal situation was resolved, the NCDOT then announced construction would begin in 2006; however, in March 2005, the department postponed the start date again until at least 2012, due to budget shortfalls. Funds once allocated to the western segment were then reapportioned to the construction of the eastern segment, which had a planned construction start date in 2011.
A second lawsuit, however, delayed the road further. A federal district judge in May 2010 dismissed the cases accusing an updated environmental study of ignoring global warming and impact on other intersecting roads. However, the high cost of building the entire project pushed the beltway to last place on a list of urban loop projects being built by the state. In March 2011, state officials agreed to rank projects using sections, which might help the Eastern section move higher on a list by 2014.
On September 7, 2011, North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue announced that construction of a part of the eastern leg of the Northern Beltway will begin in 2014. The section to be built connects US 158 to Business Interstate 40. Right-of-way acquisition will begin in 2012, and will cost $34 million; construction is estimated to cost $156 million.
As of February 2012, NC DOT is expecting right-of-way acquisition to begin in 2012, with construction beginning in 2015.
Read more about this topic: Interstate 274
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