A rural Chapel Hill road is set to have a section above Interstate 40 closed for consecutive days starting next week.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation shared an alert for upcoming bridge rehabilitation work on the part of New Hope Church Road that runs over I-40. Crews will shut down the stretch between the on- and off-ramps at Exit 263 starting Monday, May 11 at 5 a.m. Weather permitting, the maintenance is set to be finished before Thursday, May. 20 and the road is anticipated to reopen by 5 a.m.

With the closure, NCDOT is recommending southbound traffic detour New Hope Church Road by turning left onto N.C. Highway 86, turning right on Eubanks and turning right onto Hillsborough Road. Northbound traffic, meanwhile, should follow that detour in reverse: turn left onto Eubanks Road from Hillsborough Road and then left onto N.C. 86.

The bridge maintenance is part of NCDOT’s ongoing Interstate 40 expansion project throughout Orange County, which will add both a westbound and eastbound lane while making several updates to exchanges along the interstate. As part of this project, crews will be working to:

  • Seal bridge deck and barrier rails
  • Replace bridge joints
  • Clean and paint ends of beams
  • Repairs to under the deck
  • Repair slope protection
  • Replace the bridge approach slabs

Traffic along I-40 is not set to be impacted by the bridge work, according to Monday’s alert.

New Hope Church Road users are encouraged to use the DriveNC.gov website through the Department of Transportation to check for real-time traffic updates and detour instructions amid the closure.

Editor’s Note: The initial alert from the North Carolina Department of Transportation about the closure said Apr. 20 was the closure’s start date – but an update from the department later on Apr. 13 said the project’s start date is now May 11.

Featured photo via Google Maps.


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