I-540 Work Snarls Holiday Shoppers
Raleigh, N.C. — State transportation officials, taking advantage of unseasonably warm weather to speed work on a new section of Interstate 540, unintentionally put coal in the stockings of some holiday shoppers Saturday.
Traffic backed up as far as two miles from the Capital Boulevard exit after workers closed the exit to Capital Boulevard northbound and limited the southbound exit to one lane. The southbound exit takes shoppers toward several retail outlets, including Triangle Towne Center.
The workers were paving the part of I-540 that will extend from U.S. 1 in North Raleigh eastward to the new U.S. 64/264 Bypass in Knightdale.
Paving is difficult in cold weather, and state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Lisa Cowley said officials decided late Friday to mobilize paving crews because of the unusually warm weather that is predicted to last through Tuesday.
"During this time of year, it’s very unusual for us to get a window of opportunity to pave as we have over this past week, and into this weekend," said Reese Briley, NCDOT resident engineer for the project.
Traffic backed up as far as two miles from the Capital Boulevard exit after workers closed the exit to Capital Boulevard northbound and limited the southbound exit to one lane. The southbound exit takes shoppers toward several retail outlets, including Triangle Towne Center.
The workers were paving the part of I-540 that will extend from U.S. 1 in North Raleigh eastward to the new U.S. 64/264 Bypass in Knightdale.
Paving is difficult in cold weather, and state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Lisa Cowley said officials decided late Friday to mobilize paving crews because of the unusually warm weather that is predicted to last through Tuesday.
"During this time of year, it’s very unusual for us to get a window of opportunity to pave as we have over this past week, and into this weekend," said Reese Briley, NCDOT resident engineer for the project.
- Reporter: Ken Smith
- Photographer: Tom Normanly
- Web Editor: Ron Gallagher
Copyright 2008 by WRAL.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
12 Comments
-
- Tropical storm warning issued for whole N.C. coast
Updated at 2:01 a.m. - Hanna to blow through Triangle Saturday
Updated Sep. 4 11:38 p.m. |
- Ex-teacher who faces sex charges is arrested again
Updated Sep. 4 10:11 p.m. |
- Attorney general warns of scams, price gouging
Updated Sep. 4 10:03 p.m. |
- No public events for Edwards until after election
Updated Sep. 4 6:42 p.m.
- Tropical storm warning issued for whole N.C. coast
- Most Viewed Slideshows
- Images of Sarah Palin & her family
Posted Sep. 4 5:56 a.m. - Pet Photos | September 1 - September 7, 2008
Updated Sep. 4 4:03 p.m. - Tracking Hanna
Updated Sep. 4 9:52 a.m.
- Images of Sarah Palin & her family
Ask Anything
-
10 questions with Crime Reporter Amanda LambWRAL Crime Reporter Amanda Lamb answers your questions about crime scenes, murder cases and much more.
-
10 questions with Wake school board memberEleanor Goettee answers your questions about teacher pay, year-round schools ...
-
10 questions with Cary EMS Chief Steve CohenSteve Cohen answers your questions about saving lives and what to do in emergency situations.
hot topics
(1 votes) hanna to blow through triangle saturday
(1 votes) drilling for oil a hot topic at gop
Multimedia
-
Tracking HannaMeteorologists have been tracking Hanna, which has been a tropical storm and a hurricane.
-
Gustav: The path of destructionView Hurricane Gustav's path of destruction.
-
Gustav-Katrina ComparisonSee a timeline comparing the two hurricanes.
-
N.C. Drought Maps Time Lapse AnimationView a time lapse animation of drought conditions since April of 2007.
-
Raleigh Convention Center InteractiveThe Grand Opening of the new Raleigh Convention Center is Sept. 5 and 6.



STORIES
VIDEOS
SLIDESHOWS


Welcome to GOLO, where WRAL.com visitors can comment on stories and create profile pages, blogs and photo galleries.
You must be a registered WRAL.com user to use these tools. Click here to register or log in.