As part of the ongoing widening of Interstate 40 in Orange County, the North Carolina Department of Transportation is set to close a long stretch near Hillsborough over the weekend.
A release from the state department Tuesday morning said contractors will close 11.4 miles of I-40 East from Friday, April 21 through Sunday, April 23. Starting at midnight, all eastbound lanes of the interstate will be closed to traffic at Exit 163 — which is where the interstate splits into I-85 North and I-40 East. During the closure, construction crews will begin making a new eastbound lane and NCDOT described the closure as necessary for “work to be completed in a safer and more expedient” manner.
The split of I-40 and I-85 in Orange County. (Photo via Google Maps.)
The work represents the latest step in the ongoing I-40 Widening Project throughout Orange County, which the state department is doing to improve safety and congestion on the road. After being discussed for years, work on the project officially began in 2021 with $55 million dedicated to the local portion of the road. Once completed, the stretch of Interstate 40 from U.S. Highway 15-501 through west of Interstate 85 in Orange County will be three lanes in each direction compared to its current two.
Other parts of the project have already caused closures and changes for Orange County motorists. Most recently, there were closures under two bridges of I-40 in Hillsborough, as construction workers replaced the structures over Old N.C. 86 in March. Those passing Highway 86 in Chapel Hill also may have noticed a visual change that’s connected to the project, as trees along the I-40 West onramp were recently cleared. The work is an early step in the overhaul of that exchange — with NCDOT redesigning how cars will enter and exit the interstate onto Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
NCDOT’s release on Tuesday said onramps to the stretch of I-40 East will be closed over the weekend as well. The contractors are expected to reopen the 11.4-mile stretch by 5 a.m. on Monday, April 24. While the eastbound lanes are closed, the state department encouraged drivers “to remain cautious, alert and to factor the detour into their weekend trips.”
More information about the I-40 Widening Project can be found on this page by NCDOT.
Photo via Google Maps.
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