A joint venture of EV Williams and Balfour Beatty has won a $143m contract from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) in the US to widen US 17 in Jones County.

US 17 through North Carolina drive is long and slow as parts of it represent one travel lane in each direction.

The US 17 widening project will run from the New Bern bypass on the north end to 300ft north of Deepe Loop Road and Springhill Road, south of Belgrade.

"The new projects are bypasses to the existing route, increasing the travel lanes and easing traffic flows."

NCDOT has recently bid for several pieces of Route 17 and the new projects are bypasses to the existing route, increasing the travel lanes and easing traffic flows.

These projects will yield significant safety improvements by bringing the corridor up to modern standards.

Following completion, motorists can travel on a four-lane divided highway with speed limits of 70mph from the New Bern bypass to NC 58, and 60mph from NC 58 to Deppe Loop Road in Maysville.

Construction on these projects is scheduled to start in October 2015 and is expected to be completed in July 2020.

EV Williams noted that recently it partnered with Balfour Beatty to bid the Maysville bypass project, which involves construction of a bypass through Jones, Craven and Onslow counties.

The project is 17 miles-long with a completion date of December 2020.