I-40 lane at Clayton Bypass to be closed Wednesday

One lane of traffic will be closed Wednesday at the I-40 West/Clayton Bypass from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. as crews put down lane markings.

The new markings will make lane shifts there permanent, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation. At some point work will shift to the ramp from the Clayton Bypass onto I-40, closing one lane there as well. The traffic shift is part of a study the DOT has been conducting since mid-September to observe how eliminating the third outside lane effects the flow of traffic.

The DOT has found that with the lane eliminate, motorists coming off the Bypass merge onto I-40 traffic much sooner, and motorists already on I-40 can no longer go around traffic backed up on the inside two lanes and then cut back in.

The combination of the merging traffic from the Bypass and from those I-40 drivers using the third lane was causing longer backups on the interstate and slowing travel time through the area, the DOT said in a news release. The study for that section of I-40 shows that travel speeds on I-40 between N.C. 42 and Jones Sausage Road increased during the morning commute after the shift was made, compared with the same period in 2010. Travel times for the same segment decreased during the morning rush, and the duration where the speeds were below 55 miles per hour also decreased. DOT reminds motorists to watch signs for construction information, stay alert and obey the posted speed limit.