I-40 lanes will be closed for months as road work begins near NC-Tennessee border
Interstate 40 will be down to two lanes near the Tennessee border for months to replace the median walland repave a 5-mile stretch of the highway, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
The work is expected to stretch into the spring as contractors add new guard rails and drainage along I-40 at the state line, the DOT said.
Crews with Harrison Construction closed all but one of the eastbound lanes Sunday and on Monday closed the westbound lanes, according to a DOT press release.
“We’re replacing the wall now while we’re doing the rehabilitation because it has never been improved since the interstate opened,” said Ted Adams with the NC DOT. “You can step over the wall right now. It’s that low. The new wall and other improvements will bring the wall up to modern standards and make the interstate safer.”
The work, which is expected to take until May, is part of a two-year $33.8 million project to improve the interstate from mile marker 15 to the Tennessee state line.
“We know this will be an inconvenience at times, and there will be delays,” Adams said in the press release.
“But completing this work in this manner at this time of year is the best option considering the constraints of the mountain corridor. The project will provide better and safer driving conditions for at least 10-15 years into the future.”
After this phase of the work is done in the spring, “crews will begin resurfacing, replacing old guardrail and improve drainage on the westernmost 7 miles to complete the project,” the DOT said.
