CHARLOTTE – Relief is on the way to improve congestion at a busy Charlotte junction in the vicinity of Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
The I-85/I-485 interchange is a choke point for commercial traffic, possibly one of the most overcrowded in North and South Carolina, routinely seeing congestion throughout the day.
The contractor, Reeves Construction Company, will deliver a $45 million project to give vehicles more room to safely exit I-485 to I-85, among these improvements to reduce delays:
- Widening the existing bridge from the I-485 off-ramp to I-85 South, located over the I-85 southbound off-ramp to Sam Wilson Road
- Building a new roadway along I-85 South to carry the I-485 off-ramp traffic to I-85 South
- Building a new bridge on Sam Wilson Road over the new roadway
- Relocating the existing Sam Wilson ramp to I-85
Starting at 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6, N.C. Department of Transportation contract crews will install lane closures between I-485 and Moores Chapel Road from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. during the week and from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekends to complete the following:
- Install work zone signage
- Remove snow plowable markers
- Remove existing lane markings
- Stripe temporary lane shifts
- Install temporary raised markers
Depending on the type of work taking place, up to three lanes could be closed at a time. These lane closures will continue into November.
Once complete, travel lanes will be shifted to the median, allowing for widening of the highway and for a future tie-in to a new ramp from Sam Wilson Road. Temporary barrier wall will be installed between Sam Wilson and Moores Chapel roads, closing the shoulder in this area.
Other closures will be announced as the project progresses.
Learn more about the project improvements on the NCDOT project website.