Heading south on I-95 this week? Emergency repairs will slow traffic to a crawl
Update: The southbound lanes of Interstate 95 reopened at 5:30 a.m. Friday, a day earlier than originally expected.
Southbound Interstate 95 will be closed near Lumberton for several days after a routine bridge inspection uncovered a section of pavement at risk of failure, the state Department of Transportation said Wednesday.
Southbound traffic is being routed off I-95 at Exit 10 onto U.S. 301 in Robeson County for a detour that leads back onto the highway at Exit 7. The four-mile detour is over two-lane roads, so travelers should expect long delays, NCDOT says.
Traffic is being rerouted around the bridge that carries southbound I-95 over Boyce Road. It was there that inspectors discovered that a void or cavity had formed under the asphalt pavement connected to the concrete deck of the bridge, according to NCDOT.
It’s not clear what caused the cavity to form, the department says.
NCDOT says its crews will work around the clock to install reinforced steel sheeting between the bridge and the cavity, fill it with rock and dirt and then repave the highway. The department says it expects the southbound lanes of I-95 will reopen by Saturday.
The closure does not affect northbound traffic on I-95.
For up to date traffic information, go to drivenc.gov/.
This story was originally published April 7, 2021 at 3:47 PM.
