NCDOT Is About Building Roads
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is about the business of building highways, bridges, and maintaining roads. Building highways and bridges is only the beginning of the complicated process of long-term maintenance and care of our state's highway system. The process begins with developing a plan and defining transportation needs for the state. NCDOT officials and Board of Transportation members use comments gathered from public meetings held statewide to determine which projects are appropriate for local, regional, and statewide needs.
Roadway and bridge maintenance accounts for the majority of the routine services. Maintenance functions include paved and unpaved road maintenance, resurfacing, drainage maintenance, vegetation control, snow and ice control, unpaved shoulder maintenance and slope repair, environmental protection and roadway beautification, such as planting wildflowers and litter control.
Planning
Before any road construction can begin, the development and preparation of planning and environmental impact studies for all highway projects have to be conducted.
Design
Data collected during the planning process is one of the determining factors in the location and type of proposed highways to be constructed. With the use of computers and computer-aided drafting (CADD), designers prepare detailed plans for the highway within the selected location.
Right-of-Way
Right-of-Way is the process where the NCDOT obtains necessary lands for the construction and improvement of all highway projects. This is the last activity to occur between the completion of design for highway projects and the release of the project to bidders for construction.
Construction
Once the road design is complete, bids are received for construction. The Board of Transportation awards a contract to the lowest responsible bidder. The bidder (private contractor) is then obligated to construct the project in accordance with planned requirements and specifications upon which the bid was received. NCDOT staff in the Division of Highways administers the contract and provides inspection and testing functions to assure the project is properly constructed.
Maintenance
Building new highways and bridges is only the beginning of the complicated process of long-term maintenance and care of our state's highways system. The NCDOT is responsible for the maintenance and repair of about 77,000 miles of roadway and 17,000 structures, including four tunnels.
For additional information on NCDOT Units and Divisions click on the following Link: www.doh.dot.state.nc.us
