The announcement of a sizable construction bid awarded for a transportation project in the heart of Sampson County means a lumbering endeavor will continue for years to come.

It’s a double-edged sword for local motorists who have had to deal with traffic snarls on N.C. 24 for years, with similar construction coming to build a section of a main highway, replace bridges and build new interchanges that will move the overall N.C. 24 Improvement Project forward.

We think the positives far outweigh the negatives, notably the dull headache that may persist in the months and years to come as vehicles negotiate new obstacles. It will take a little more time from point A to point B, but state investment locally is a good thing and it’s tough to put a negative spin on the continuation of a highway endeavor that seeks to connect two main interstates —I-40 and I-95 — with Clinton and Sampson County serving as a main connector.

That will mean growth. It may not seem like a boom to those of us who have lived around here daily for the past decade or two, but bring somebody back who’s been gone awhile. What has happened along N.C. 24 in Sampson County is impressive. New businesses have popped up and local investment has been made. Just look at Sampson Community College.

The latest sign for optimism is the $24.5 million contract awarded to Barnhill Contracting Company to replace two bridges that will take U.S. 421/701 (Faircloth Freeway) traffic over N.C. 24 (Sunset Avenue) and improve a 1.8-mile stretch of Faircloth Freeway between the U.S. 421/701 interchange and extending down U.S. 421 toward the county’s livestock facility.

An interchange to connect U.S. 421 to the new section of roadway south of Clinton will also be part of that multi-million dollar project.

The project is anticipated to be complete, minus landscaping, in November 2022.

Now you now as well as we do that timetable is subject to change. Delays do, and most likely will, happen.

In recent years, local government officials expressed their ire over the lack of progress being made on N.C. 24. Hurricanes, coupled with some 422 days of lost time chalked up to utility relocation delays, took their toll on the patience of everybody involved.

Work on the entire N.C. 24 Improvement Project began back in Cumberland County in October 2013 and was, for a time, slated for a November 2017 completion in Clinton. We know that didn’t happen. The endless rows of orange traffic sticks and cones were often a punchline as frustrations boiled over.

But don’t lose sight over the prize here — growth. As we begin a new year, let’s recognize good news when we hear it. Put aside the cynicism, trust the process and hope for the best.

This 40-mile N.C. 24 project has for years been touted for its ultimate aim of connecting Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune. The first four segments from Vander in Cumberland County to Faircloth Freeway in Clinton totals about 27 miles. There are still many to go.

The last two segments will extend further east from Faircloth Freeway toward I-40 in Duplin County, with the work set to begin as early as late January beginning that new process.

So, as we prepare for more construction just as we said goodbye to our familiar N.C. 24 hurdles, let’s at least do so with a positive mindset, the past behind us. Let’s wipe the slate clean for 2020. This is good news, so let’s accept it as such as our local landscape continues to grow. And then let’s meet here in a few months to complain about it.