The Interstate 40 widening project rolls on in Orange County, and the state transportation department announced overnight closures are coming to a well-traveled road in Hillsborough as a result.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation shared an alert on Wednesday, saying crews will be closing down Old N.C. 86 in Hillsborough under the I-40 bridge from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly from Thursday until March 30. The closures will not take place during inclement weather or on Saturday nights, according to the release.

Crews will be completing “bridge demolition activities,” said the state department, as work has continued to build new widened bridge lanes for the interstate in recent months. The entire widening project runs the length of the interstate in Orange County, and will increase it from four lanes to six lanes once finished.

NCDOT said a signed detour will direct traffic around the Old N.C. 86 closure by using Waterstone Drive, N.C. Highway 86 and New Hope Church Road to navigate to the interstate. Traffic on the interstate is not expected to be impacted and vehicles will be able to use Exit 261 — but will not be able to travel under the I-40 bridges over Old N.C. 86. The state department asked drivers to remain alert around the construction zone during the overnight hours and to factor in any delays caused by the detour.

Road travelers are no strangers to closures on Old N.C. 86 during this project, as overnight closures took place last October as well. Further south, Millhouse Road in Orange County also has a closure in place by NCDOT — as a full closure is underway until July for work to widen the I-40 bridges.

Photo via the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

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