A $12 million road project could help provide access to a Brunswick County industrial park and the future site of Epsilon Advanced Materials’ proposed graphite manufacturing plant.

The one-mile roadway is included in a final draft of the N.C. Department of Transportation’s next State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), which outlines funding and scheduling for transportation projects statewide for the next 10 years. The new route is among dozens of projects in the Cape Fear region included in the STIP, which is expected to be considered for adoption next month.

In 2023, Epsilon officials announced plans to build a 1.5-million-square-foot facility in Brunswick County’s Mid-Atlantic Industrial Rail Park, which will make graphite for the lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles. Officials have said they expect the new plant would create 500 jobs with an average salary of more than $52,000.

The proposed road would be located along the north side of U.S. 74, just east of the Brunswick County line. The project cost is estimated at $12.15 million, according to Lauren Jenkins, spokesperson for the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT).

Of that cost, $10 million will be paid for by economic development funding, while Brunswick Business and Industry Development is pursuing funds for the remaining amount, Jenkins said.

The road will serve the entire industrial park, providing access to parcels along the highway. Epsilon is the first to request a driveway connection to the site of their development, according to Jenkins.

Epsilon has completed a detailed geotechnical analysis of the site, mass grading and erosion control design, Epsilon CEO Sunit Kapur wrote in an email to the Business Journal this week. The company has secured most of its “key pre-construction permits,” including air, wetlands and wastewater, he added.

“We have submitted our application for the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan permit to NCDEQ and expect approval in the coming months,” Kapur wrote. “Once approved, we will initiate site clearing and on-site infrastructure development.”

Epsilon expects to break ground on the project in the first quarter of 2026. The first phase of construction is expected to take a year and a half, with operations beginning by the fourth quarter of 2027, according to Kapur. The company plans to hire 325 full-time employees during its first phase, expanding to 500 total employees upon completion.

The Department of Transportation is working on final plans for the road project, and the dedication of the right-of-way needed for the new route is expected to wrap up this fall, Jenkins said. Officials plan to let the project for bid this winter, and the construction duration will be determined closer to that let date, she added.