As the contractor in charge of all aspects of the ongoing widening work on and around a 1.8-mile section of Sam Furr Road (N.C. 73) between Interstate 77 and N.C. 115, Blythe did not meet the Dec. 2 deadline for completion of the work.
In winning the contract in November 2009, Blythe was awarded total "design-build" control of the project and imposed the Dec. 2 deadline on itself. As recently as late this summer, and despite delays related to multiple utility relocation projects required to clear a path for the wider roadways and turn lanes, Blythe representatives still expected to meet the targeted completion date. But with plenty of red dirt still showing, a meeting with N.C. Department of Transportation officials and Town of Huntersville representatives is scheduled next week to determine the status of the project.
Rick Pruitte, a DOT resident engineer, said an on-site meeting with Blythe officials and Huntersville representatives will be held Tuesday, Dec. 13. Max Buchanan, Huntersville's director of public works, said the meeting is a regularly scheduled session between the DOT and the contractor to share updates on the project, but, given the circumstances, he plans to attend.
"I want to get an update and see what they think their schedule will be," Buchanan said. "I know they were trying to get finished before Christmas and they really have made a lot of progress, but realistically, they can't complete everything until spring of next year."
Buchanan said cold-weather restrictions on paving and the installation of permanent on-pavement markings will prevent final touches until warmer weather returns.
"I expect they will keep on doing what work they can and folks driving out there might see some lane shifts through the winter," Buchanan said, "but some of the work will have to wait."
Under the terms of the original contract, the DOT has the authority to impose a $5,000 fine on Blythe for each day work extends beyond the posted deadline. But the much more likely focus of conversation at Tuesday's meeting will be the reasonable time frame Blythe believes it will need to complete the work.
NCDOT guidelines establish a cold-weather moratorium on paving projects between Dec. 15 and March 16, although mild weather and other circumstances can trigger exceptions. But even if some aspects of road construction and other portions of the project continue through the winter, Buchanan said mid to late spring is still a realistic time frame. Expectations for completion of the project should still focus on mid to late spring.
"You do not get as much accomplished on a daily basis in the winter," Buchanan says, "and I think folks should just expect everything to be finished up sometime after March."
