A new traffic pattern will be implemented in James City this Friday, September 8, as part of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) project to improve a 5.1-mile stretch of the highway.

On Friday, a new roundabout will open to traffic at Grantham Road off U.S. 70, which will connect Grantham Road to the new U.S. 70 service roads and replace stop signs, according to NCDOT.

“The new service roads were built in the new location, to move the existing service roads away from the highway, improving safety and access to local businesses,” NCDOT announced in a press release.

According to NCDOT, the department builds roundabouts to improve safety and traffic flow in an area.

This first roundabout is part of the new configuration at Grantham Road. The new configuration will eventually include four roundabouts for the U.S. 70 improvements in James City, according to NCDOT.

This is only one part of the U.S. 70 Improvements in James City Project that the state is currently working on.

The project will convert the current conventional intersections, to include traffic signals, at various spots within James City into interchanges by taking U.S. 70 over cross streets and providing access via ramps.

The cross streets NCDOT listed includes Williams Road, Airport Road, Grantham Road, Thurman Road, and Taberna Way. These intersections will become new highway exits for the future interstate 42.

Construction for the project began in Spring of 2022 and is expected to continue until some time in the middle of 2025.

NCDOT Resident Engineer for James City, Wendi Johnson, said the coming months will be a very busy time for the project.

Workers will be in active construction on new and existing service roads in the project area.

According to Johnson, the next roundabout to go under construction will likely be on Grantham Road’s north side of U.S. 70.

Travelers can expect more lane closures on U.S. 70 in the project area, but Johnson said those will mostly occur at night or on weekends.

“As far as the utility construction, most of that now has been completed, which puts us into the phase of the project where we start doing more of the storm drain and new road construction,” Johnson said.

For full project information and to view NCDOT project visuals, visit the project page here.