Construction officials said that crews working overnight Wednesday paved a section of northbound U.S. 1/64, but the pavement was unsafe for commuters to drive on. Officials said earth under the temporary pavement became weak and the pavement began cracking.
"We didn't know until just before rush hour and we looked at several different options to have traffic opened up to two lanes for the rush hour, but we simply could not jeopardize safety and have traffic back on that area," said DOT engineer Cadmus Capehart.
Officials closed one lane of the road between Kildare Farms Road and Cary Parkway during the morning commute and the afternoon. The lane had been closed overnight and was supposed to reopen Thursday morning.
Traffic was backed up for nearly 10 miles and motorists experienced extremely slow speeds through the zone. It took nearly 11 hours to patch up the problem.
The DOT said the Lane Construction Co. is responsible for causing the traffic mess. It could be fined up to $1,500 for each hour after 6 a.m. that its crews blocked the road.
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