Out late? I-77 could be messy overnight in Charlotte this week

Overnight detours are planned on Interstate 77 near uptown Charlotte this week as part of the I-77 toll lanes project.

Detours will occur on southbound I-77 between the I-85/I-77 interchange and the Brookshire Freeway/I-77 interchange. The detours will accommodate work on the Oaklawn Avenue bridge and the pedestrian bridge near the LaSalle Street exit, I-77 Mobility Partners announced on Tuesday.

I-77 Mobility Partners is the limited liability corporation formed by Spain-based contractor Cintra to finance, design, build, operate and maintain the 26-mile project from Brookshire Freeway in Charlotte to N.C. 150 in Mooresville.

The first detour is scheduled for 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Wednesday. Traffic will detour just north of the I-85/I-77 interchange to I-85 southbound to Brookshire Boulevard and then back to I-77 southbound. The detour will allow crews to safely work under the pedestrian bridge just north of LaSalle Street.

The same detour will occur over the same hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for work on a new Oaklawn Avenue bridge. Ramps leading to that part of I-77 will be temporarily closed during the overnight construction hours.

Crews are demolishing the northwest corner of the Oaklawn Avenue bridge to build a new bridge that will include bike lanes and sidewalks on both sides. The east part of the bridge will be wider, providing space under Oaklawn Avenue for a future greenway connection, .

Traffic on the Oaklawn Avenue bridge will be detoured to the LaSalle Street bridge from 11 p.m. to 9 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

This story was originally published February 7, 2017 at 1:26 PM with the headline "Out late? I-77 could be messy overnight in Charlotte this week."