117 in mid-2007, stopped enforcing the ban on October 3, due to the AASHTO decision. The first I-795 signs were posted on November 28, 2007, replacing US 117 signs along the whole route. Most but not all signage at the interchange onramps was updated at the same time. Other changes, including shifting US 117 back to the old route and changing exit numbers and mileposts, were to be completed by early 2008, but complications with the road surface and approval of moving US 117 delayed those plans to December 2009. Problems with road surface and their remediation In 2008, shortly after the road received the I-795 designation, major flaws developed in the route's paving surface. Though rated for a 15-year lifespan, the pavement began to deteriorate after only 16 months of use. During the planning of the road, as early as 2003, some engineers had warned that the thin pavement would be inadequate for heavy truck traffic. However, most NCDOT officials deemed a thicker road surface too expensive, as it would have added approximately $2.8 million (equivalent to $ in ) to the cost of the road. At first, replacing sections that were damaged was expected to cost $1.6 million (equivalent to $ in ), with estimates for resurfacing the entire road running as high as $10 million (equivalent to $ in ). The FHWA sent an engineering team to examine the road in its entirety in the middle of 2008. They found flaws in the pavement in the entire highway, not just those already damaged between US 117 milemarkers 85 and 92. They recommended the entire asphalt surface be replaced with an additional added to the width, at a cost between $15 million and $22 million (equivalent to $ and $ in ). Meanwhile, NCDOT started repairing the damaged portion of the road surface in October 2008, a process that was completed in about a month and cost around $600,000 (equivalent to $ in ). The new state secretary of transportation, Gene Conti, said he would make a decision, taking the FHWA report into consideration, once he took office in early 2009. He decided to abide by most recommendations of the report and announced in mid-2009 that a contract would be let that October with the project starting as early as November 2009. The work, to fix the right lanes first, then put a finishing layer on all lanes,