French construction company Vinci has announced that its subsidiary has secured a $187m design-build contract to widen and improve a I-85 stretch in North Carolina, US.

The project was secured by Blythe Construction, a subsidiary of Eurovia (Vinci Group), and is designed to improve traffic flow along the 12km-long section by widening it from four to eight lanes.

"The project is designed to improve traffic flow along the busy 12km-long section by widening it eight lanes from the current four lanes."

The project also includes the demolition and rebuilding of 11 bridges and viaducts.

Blythe Construction will apply the Recyvia environmental process on this scheme, which allows the company to employ up to 50% recycled materials, marking the first time the process has been applied on a major highway in North Carolina.

While the design of the project is currently being finalised, work is scheduled to begin in early 2015 and handover is slated in December 2017.

In May, a consortium led by Vinci was awarded a €255m contract to construct an extension of the D3 motorway in northern Slovakia.

Under the contract, the consortium will build a 4.2km-long section that will connect Strážov and Brodno on the outskirts of Žilina.

This announcement followed another contract an €850m contract the company won for the second phase of the New Orbital Highway in Doha, Qatar.