Sneak peek: First cars will begin driving next week on East End Connector in Durham

The first cars will drive down it on June 30.

Connecting U.S. 70 to the Durham Freeway, it'll provide another route from I-40 to I-85, bypassing downtown.

WRAL News got a sneak peek at the road before it opens to everyone.

Construction started in 2015. It was supposed to open in 2020. After delays and more delays, it's finally almost ready.

Bridge removal means delays in east Durham

The goal: Making life easier for Durham drivers.

"Depending on where you’re at, some people might save 10 minutes time," said Liam Shannon, engineer with the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

Shannon says it should make it easier to get from I-40 to I-85, which will especially benefit drivers traveling from North Durham to RTP and Raleigh.

The hope is that it will ease congestion downtown, too.

"In the future you will not have to go through downtown Durham to get from north Durham to NC-147," Shannon said.

The project took a couple years longer than expected, for a few reasons.

"Some of them were utility related," Shannon said. "This is kind of in an old section of Durham and the connector cuts across a lot of old neighborhoods that had a lot of old utilities. One of the largest factors was the railroad corridor."

Now all that’s needed is a bit of paint and a few more signs – and it’s good to go.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has a ribbon-cutting ceremony planned for June 30. Afterwards, state leaders expect cars to start using the road as early as that afternoon.