Work to begin on badly congested Charlotte highway interchange, NCDOT says
Expect overnight lane closures as a contractor begins improving the chronically congested I85/I485 interchange near Charlotte’s airport on Monday.
The interchange “is a choke point for commercial traffic, possibly one of the most overcrowded” in the Carolinas, state highway officials said Friday in announcing the start of construction on the $45 million project. Congestion is routine throughout the day, officials said.
The project will reduce bottlenecks and improve driver safety, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation.
Bridge widening, new road
Reeves Construction Co. of Duncan, South Carolina, will widen the existing bridge from the I-485 off-ramp to I-85 South, located over the I-85 southbound off-ramp to Sam Wilson Road.
Reeves also will build a new road along I-85 South to carry I-485 off-ramp traffic to I-85 South, and build a new bridge on Sam Wilson Road over the new road.
Crews will move the existing Sam Wilson ramp to I-85.
From 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6, to 5 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, crews will close lanes each overnight during the week between I-485 and Moores Chapel Road and 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. weekends.
That’s so workers can install work zone signs, remove snow plowable markers and existing lane markings, stripe temporary lane shifts and install temporary raised markers, according to NCDOT.
Depending on the work involved, as many as three lanes could be closed at a time. Closures are expected into November, officials said.
Travel lanes will then be shifted to the median, so crews can widen the highway and allow for a future tie-in to a new ramp from Sam Wilson Road.
A temporary barrier wall will be installed between Sam Wilson and Moores Chapel roads, closing the shoulder along the stretch.
The state will announce other closures as the project progresses, officials said.