Editor’s Note: The original version of this story cited incorrect wording from the North Carolina Department of Transportation about the length of the closure of I-40 East. An updated release from the state department clarified the entire widening project in Orange County is 11.4 miles, but the closure would only be at the split of I-40 East and I-85 North. All exits and on-ramps onto the eastbound lanes will be open to traffic once the work begins.
A spokesperson for NCDOT confirmed to Chapelboro a new date will be shared in time following the delay over the weekend of April 21-23.
Work on Interstate 40 East in Orange County this weekend, which would have closed a long stretch of the highway near Hillsborough, has been postponed due to the possibility of severe weather. The work is part of the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s ongoing widening of the interstate in the county.
A release from the state department Tuesday morning said contractors were originally planning to close part of I-40 East from Friday, April 21 through Sunday, April 23. The plan was to close the highway to traffic at Exit 163 — which is where the interstate splits into I-85 North and I-40 East. During the closure, construction crews will begin making a new eastbound lane and NCDOT described the closure as necessary for “work to be completed in a safer and more expedient” manner.
The split of I-40 and I-85 in Orange County. (Photo via Google Maps.)
The work represents the latest step in the ongoing I-40 Widening Project throughout Orange County, which the state department is doing to improve safety and congestion on the road. After being discussed for years, work on the project officially began in 2021 with $55 million dedicated to the local portion of the road. Once completed, the stretch of Interstate 40 from U.S. Highway 15-501 through west of Interstate 85 in Orange County will be three lanes in each direction compared to its current two.
Other parts of the project have already caused closures and changes for Orange County motorists. Most recently, there were closures under two bridges of I-40 in Hillsborough, as construction workers replaced the structures over Old N.C. 86 in March. Those passing Highway 86 in Chapel Hill also may have noticed a visual change that’s connected to the project, as trees along the I-40 West onramp were recently cleared. The work is an early step in the overhaul of that exchange — with NCDOT redesigning how cars will enter and exit the interstate onto Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
When work does get underway, onramps to the stretch of I-40 East will be closed as well. While the eastbound lanes are closed, the state department encouraged drivers “to remain cautious, alert and to factor the detour into their weekend trips.”
More information about the I-40 Widening Project can be found on this page by NCDOT.
Photo via Google Maps.
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A little crazy that of all the pictures of I-40 it just happened to have Skoolie in it.
Hello, I wonder if you might be able to contact NCDOT for details? Your article states that 11.4 miles of I-40 east will close, but I’m not sure that’s true. The press release says “access to I-40 East from the I-85/I-40 split at mile marker 163 near Hillsborough will be closed to traffic” to enable the contractor “to begin constructing a new eastbound lane in the area of the I-40/I-85 split” but it does not say that an entire stretch of road will be closed. For example, this says nothing about Exit 261, 363, or 266 — from reading the press release, it looks like you’ll be able to get on I-40 eastbound from any of those exits. Could you possibly clarify? Thanks.
Hey there Geoff — that wording about a 11.4-mile stretch is directly taken from the media release NCDOT sent to us, in which they also said “all lanes of I-40 East will be closed to traffic starting at the I-40 East/I-85 North split near mile marker 163.” Turns out: that was a mistake on their end, but we didn’t receive an updated release, they just updated it on the NCDOT site. I’ve made an update to our story now.
Thanks for flagging for us and for reading.