Construction to clog interstate in Raleigh for three years

Raleigh, N.C. — The state Department of Transportation is gearing up to repair an 11.5-mile stretch of highway in Raleigh, a project that will take about three years to complete and cost an estimated $168 million.

Construction will begin in the spring or summer of 2013 on what will be the biggest road project ever undertaken in the Triangle.

The project involves repairing pavement on Interstate 40 between the Jones Franklin Road overpass and the exit to Interstate 440/U.S. Highway 64 and on I-440 between I-40/U.S. 64 and just north of U.S. Highway 264. Work in this area since 2007 was just a temporary solution to extend the life of the highway until a larger, more comprehensive project could be funded.

DOT officials said the existing 30-year-old pavement needs to be completely removed and replaced. Considering the old pavement is up to two feet deep, the interstate has five lanes in some places and work cannot be done in cold temperatures or rain, the project will be time-consuming.

During construction, auxiliary lanes, which connect ramps between interchanges, will be added as safety measures. The DOT will attempt to keep at least two lanes open while work is in progress, but heavy delays and backups are expected daily. Short-term work on certain sections of pavement might require temporary closures, but these will be scheduled to have minimal impact on traffic and will be announced in advance.

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NCDOT recommends using the following alternative routes, as there will not be marked detours:

From the west, I-40 East to Wade Avenue (Exit 289) to I-440 East back to I-40
I-40 East to I-540 East (Exit 283) to US 64/US 264 East to US 264 East to Interstate-95 South back to I-40 and reverse from US 64/264 (suggested for I-40 through traffic and commercial trucks)

In short, drivers can expect delays, although how much of a delay depends on the time of day, how many lanes are open, the amount of traffic and any accidents in the area. Once the project gets underway drivers can find more information and updates on the NCDOT project website and on Twitter.

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Latest Comments

Our lawmakers and people making these decisions at the good ole DOT don't have to drive on this stretch of road to go to and from work during peak traffic times....'epic fail' is right!

kristy5
August 13, 2012 5:39 p.m.

I think it should be called "epic fail" why in the world would they do this before completing 540 to help reduce some of the traffic. Is this not common sense???

dphuff
August 13, 2012 3:08 p.m.

Sorry I missed the opportunity to submit some names for this project. The top three I can think of are; Train-wreck, Soup-sandwich, and Albatross. This is more nit-wittery on the part of the DOT. It took them a decade to get the resolve and the funding to add a lane to I-40 between US1 and Wade Avenue, now they're going to hamstring beach-goers, commuters, freight carriers and commerce in general for three years. Unforgivable!

csnord
August 13, 2012 11:14 a.m.

Please do a better job of re-doing the bridges on the southern belt-line. Every time you cross a bridge its like hitting 2x4's in the road.

7birdman
July 24, 2012 3:49 p.m.

First off, NCDOT is using asphalt to replace the concrete pavement because asphalt is a lot cheaper than concrete. Plus, the concrete takes days to cure before traffic can drive on it again; asphalt can be driven on within hours after it is poured.

Second, the pavement on this part of I-40 is ancient, and carrying traffic volumes it never was designed to handle. It's a miracle it hasn't turned to gravel from the pounding; no one 30 years ago had any idea that I-40 would carry 100,000+ vehicles per day here. I had the project repaving this area a few years ago and remember being told it was a bandaid until the money was there to do more.

Third, no, they won't rip all of it up at one time and rebuild it. No contractor has the manpower or equipment to do that. They'll work on this project in segments, and maintain a couple of lanes of traffic while they do it. That's why it is going to take so long, actually; if they didn't have to keep I-40 open it would take a lot less time.

Bendal1
July 23, 2012 11:55 a.m.