Rain delays I-40 shutdown and planned detour for lane construction
CORRECTION: N.C. Department of Transportation officials clarified on April 27, 2023, that the work to build a new lane on eastbound Interstate 40 will only close the split at I-40 and I-85 when it is rescheduled.
A plan to shut down a section of Interstate 40 to start building an extra eastbound lane in Orange County are temporarily on hold, after rain canceled a weekend of work scheduled for late April.
The road closure was supposed to detour eastbound traffic around the I-40/I-85 split, just south of the Hillsborough exit, N.C Department of Transportation officials said in an email Thursday. The work was scheduled for April 21-23, but was canceled just days before it was set to begin.
NCDOT spokesman Aaron Moody said the work will be rescheduled soon, and only the split will be closed when that happens. All other on- and off-ramps east of the split will remain open, including the exit from I-85 South to I-40 East, he said in the email.
Eastbound traffic, when that happens, will be routed onto I-85 through Hillsborough and Durham, where drivers can connect with I-885 South and merge back onto I-40 near Research Triangle Park.
Traffic headed into Carrboro and Chapel Hill will be able to exit I-85 onto Old N.C. 86 or N.C. 86 in Hillsborough.
The work is part of the long-anticipated project to widen I-40 to three lanes in both directions from the split to U.S. 15-501 in Chapel Hill.
The $236 million project could wrap up in 2025, creating at least a six-lane interstate from western Guilford County to N.C. 42 in Johnston County when it’s completed.
Real-time travel information is available online at DriveNC.gov or on NCDOT’s social media channels.
This story was originally published April 18, 2023 at 1:00 PM.
