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Drivers heading south on Interstate 85 in Cabarrus County will be shifted onto new lanes starting Wednesday evening as crews continue to work to widen the highway.
Starting at 9 p.m. Wednesday, southbound traffic on a roughly three-mile stretch between Coddle Creek and Bruton Smith Boulevard will be diverted onto the new lanes, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation. A contractor plans to paint new lane markings and install signs, among other work, to alert drivers about the change.
Crews also plan to temporarily close the exit ramp from I-85 south onto Poplar Tent Road. The ramp will close Wednesday evening but is expected to reopen by 5 a.m. Thursday.
The state has been working to widen about 7 miles of I-85 from south of Bruton Smith Boulevard to north of N.C. 73. The work is part of a broader project to build a new I-85/I-485 interchange and finish the remaining 5.7-miles of the I-485 outer loop around Mecklenburg County.
The entire project is expected to be finished by November 2013.
