Raleigh – Travelers using the northbound
Durham Freeway tonight through Saturday morning will be detoured off a section
of the roadway to allow the contractor for the East End
Connector project to safely tie in the existing northbound lanes into a
temporary alignment and complete a traffic shift.
The closure between Ellis Road (exit 8) and Briggs Avenue (exit 10)
will go into effect at 7 p.m., with the highway reopening by 10 a.m. on
Saturday. Other sections of the freeway in the project work zone will see
temporary traffic barriers going into place on both sides of the travel lanes,
narrowing the lanes slightly. So, it is very important for drivers to pay extra
attention while traveling through that part of the work zone, and to observe the
55 m.p.h. speed limit. Extra law enforcement will be on hand to watch for
violators.
As for the closed section, drivers will be diverted off the highway
at at Ellis Road, will turn left at the top of the ramp. Where Ellis Road goes
to the right, drivers will go straight onto So-Hi Drive, which becomes NE Creek
Parkway. They will turn right onto East Cornwallis Road, and then right again on
Alston Avenue (N.C. 55) to get back to the northbound freeway at exit 11.
The East End Connector is a 3.9-mile divided highway that will
connect the Durham Freeway to U.S. 70, which is being upgraded to interstate
standards between Pleasant Drive and N.C. 98. It will enable drivers to travel
non-stop between Interstate 85 in Durham, the freeway, I-40 and U.S. 1 in
Cary.
The new highway, expected to be designated Interstate 885, is
expected to open in late 2019.
U-0071
Media Contact: Steve Abbott, swabbott@ncdot.gov, (919) 707-2660