Fortify

New lanes open on I-40 East in Fortify zone

Drivers were using newly paved lanes Tuesday morning on Interstate 40 East in part of the Fortify work zone, a sign of progress in the massive interstate rebuild project.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — Drivers were using newly paved lanes Tuesday morning on Interstate 40 East in part of the Fortify work zone, a sign of progress in the massive interstate rebuild project.

Crews opened up the new lanes to traffic from Cary to the Gorman Street exit on I-40 East early Tuesday, a switch that will allow construction to begin repaving the outside lanes.

Construction crews have been preparing for the switch by putting down layers of asphalt and new lane markings. They have also been replacing concrete barriers that have separated the construction crews from the three outside travel lanes.

This is a large milestone for Fortify, a major road reconstruction project that began in May 2013 and is expected to be complete in mid-2017.

What's next?

After Monday night's change, a similar lane switch will take place on I-40 West in the same area in the coming weeks. Then, in June, the inside lanes in both directions at the eastern end of the project by the I-40/440 split will switch.

The goal is to move all traffic to the inside lanes by late summer, enabling crews to rebuild the three outside lanes in both directions.

The NCDOT urges drivers to pay attention to the new traffic patterns. Concrete barriers will be in place on both sides of the travel lanes, leaving very little room for driver error.

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