Daytime lane closures delayed in 'Fortify' project

Daytime lane closures on westbound Interstate 440 will not begin Thursday as planned, state Department of Transportation officials said Wednesday.

The department is working with contractors on a different plan that officials said will “optimize traffic flow” while the roadway is under construction, and they need more time to put the plan in place. The daytime lane closures likely will start next week.

The construction is part of “Fortify,” a project rebuild an 11.5-mile stretch of Interstate 40/440.

The delay of daytime lane closures has no impact on nighttime lane closures that begin Wednesday on the eastbound lanes of I-440, between the U.S. Highway 64/264 split and the I-40/440 interchange.

The outside lane will be closed from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next two nights and until 6 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday while crews do milling and paving work.