JOHNSTON COUNTY, N.C. — A delayed construction project continues to cause headaches for drivers in Johnston County. 

A spokesman for the North Carolina Department of Transportation said the delay for the N.C. 42 widening project is largely due to labor and supply shortages. 

What You Need To Know

  •  The N.C. 42 widening project in Johnston County started in October 2018

  •  NCDOT says the project has been affected by labor and supply shortages

  •  Some residents say the backups from the construction are frustrating

  •  NCDOT officials say the project is now slated to end this fall

Kerry Rigg lives in Clayton and is a retired occupational safety and health instructor. He doesn’t battle rush hour traffic every day, but he still has plenty of frustration over the delayed project. 

“I was an OSHA safety instructor,” Ring said, “and I had the people who do the stoplights, as you can see here in my class almost a year ago, and I haven't finished the project yet. These are all temporary stoplights, and you can see the poles ready to go. And yet what are they going to come back?” Rigg asked. 

The project is to widen a 4.6 mile section of N.C. 42, between Business 70 in Clayton and N.C. 50.

The project, aimed at easing congestion issues, started in October 2018. 

“It can back up as far as 6 miles at rush hour,” Rigg said. “One of the reasons, they’ve built several subdivisions here since 2018, flooding the area with more residents and cars.”

Rigg has lived in the area for the last 26 years and remembers when N.C. 42 was just a two-lane road. 

“I can’t even imagine trying to drive home when it takes you, what, 15, 20 minutes to go a mile? How frustrating would that be,” Rigg said. 

NCDOT officials said they hope the project will be finished this fall.