Traffic

I-40 to close Sunday for Durham bridge installation

Traffic began backing up along Interstate 40 in Durham late Saturday, a few hours before the interstate was set to close in both directions as crews install a pedestrian bridge.

Posted 2013-04-25T11:17:22+00:00 - Updated 2013-04-28T02:15:43+00:00

I-40 traffic

Interstate 40 in Durham will close for about seven hours Sunday, starting at midnight, as road crews to install a 270-foot pedestrian bridge for the American Tobacco Trail.

Both directions of I-40 from Fayetteville Road (Exit 276) to N.C. Highway 751 (Exit 274) will be shut down while crews use a crane to set four pre-assembled sections of the bridge in place.

"The actual placement will be very slow and very careful so they can make sure they get it right," Ed Venable, with Durham Public Works, said.

Traffic backups began a few hours ahead of the scheduled interstate closure as crews started blocking lanes.

Local traffic headed westbound on I-40 will be detoured onto N.C. Highway 54 to N.C. 751 and back to I-40.

Eastbound motorists will be detoured at N.C. 751, onto Renaissance Parkway to Fayetteville Road at the Streets of Southpoint, then back on I-40 East.

City of Durham officials said the best route for people passing through the Triangle will be N.C. Highway 147.

Following Sunday's work, crews will move forward with the installation of the bridge deck, fencing and lighting.

The $9 million project, which is scheduled to finish in July, will provide a 4.2-mile connection between Fayetteville Street, N.C. 54 and the Chatham County line.