RALEIGH - Most construction on North Carolina highways will be suspended during the Memorial Day weekend to ease congestion and improve safety.

The state Department of Transportation said construction will stop from 4 p.m. Friday until 9 a.m. Tuesday. One exception will be on southbound Interstate 85 in Vance County, where traffic will be cut to one lane from mile marker 208 to 214.

The DOT also warned Thursday of delays in Cabarrus and Mecklenburg counties because of race weekend events at Lowe's Motor Speedway south of Concord. The DOT says congestion will be heavy on Interstate 85 and U.S. 29.

The Highway Patrol says it will work with other agencies to operate seat belt checkpoints and increase patrols during the weekend. The patrol says last year 19 motorists were killed and 707 were hurt in Memorial Day accidents.