DURHAM – Due to a traffic shift, work on the East End Connector project in Durham is going to require several lane closures on U.S. 70 this weekend.
Starting Friday, June 29, at 8 p.m., the nearly two-mile section of roadway between Lynn Road and Holloway Street will see multiple westbound and eastbound closures as contractors shift the traffic pattern. The shift is expected to be completed by Sunday evening and closures opened by Monday, July 1, at 6 a.m.
Motorists will still be able to use the section of U.S. 70, but lanes will be reduced. Drivers are reminded to travel through the work zones with caution and obey all posted traffic signs and signals.
The East End Connector is a 3.9-mile divided highway that will connect U.S. 70 to the Durham Freeway. It will also upgrade U.S. 70 to a freeway between Pleasant Drive and N.C. 98.
Once open for traffic, it will provide a multi-lane interstate connection between I-85, the Durham Freeway and I-40 on the east side of Durham, with drivers able to continue non-stop on the Triangle Expressway to U.S. 1 south of Cary.
The new highway, expected to be designated Interstate 885, is intended to help alleviate congestion on the Durham Freeway, and as well as on local roads such as U.S. 15/501, as well as Roxboro, Mangum, Gregson and Duke streets.