I-40 Lane Closures Near NC/TN State Line Till Labor Day
I-40 lane closures will bring delay of traffic for the remainder of the summer. Travelers on Interstate 40 between North Carolina and Tennessee need to know about lane closures for the next several weeks. Expect traffic delays for the remainder of the summer due to work by the NCDOT. The NCDOT will be performing work to remove rock and soil high above the interstate. This project is needed to reduce the possibility of rock slides that in the past have resulted in I-40 being closed for weeks.
Lane Closures On I-40 Between NC and TN Till Labor Day
The project begins on Wednesday July 27, 2016. Traffic will be reduced to one lane of traffic in both directions ( east and west bound) at mile markers 6 and 8 on the North Carolina side of I-40 near the Tennessee state lane. Drivers will experience heavy traffic and long delays most likely in the afternoons and on the weekends when traffic is normally heavy.
The work will consist of milling, repaving and striping I-40 in the area around Exit 7, installing a new drainage system and installing a new median barrier wall. Plans are for all four lanes to reopen again by Labor Day.
Some travelers will need to take a detour. Tractor-trailers and other wide vehicles (those wider than 14 feet) are required to take an alternative route around the construction during the lane closures. The best detour route is to take Interstate 26 West from Asheville, then Interstate 81 South in Tennessee to get back on I-40. This detour does add about an hour to travel time. But if traffic is heavy with long delays on I-40 it may be faster while work is ongoing for this NCDOT project.
