More changes for your commute along I-40
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Your commute will again look different starting Monday morning if you travel through the Interstate 40/440 work zone.
A shift onto newly built inside westbound lanes of the Fortify I-40 rebuild project puts about two miles of I-40 traffic onto three new lanes from west of Lake Wheeler Road (Exit 297) to west of the Avent Ferry Road bridge.
Last month, crews opened newly rebuilt lanes in the same area along eastbound I-40 near Gorman Street.
Crews spent last week preparing for the move by moving barriers and painting new lane markings. The new traffic pattern has westbound drivers on essentially, a brand new interstate with a smooth road surface.
Eventually, concrete barriers will be moved back in place to provide protection for workers who will be tearing up the roadway that had been used along that stretch of interstate.
There will be more lane shifts to the inside travel lanes over the summer, with the next section to change being in the westbound lanes by the I-40/440 split in southeast Raleigh. That move could take place in a few weeks.
All traffic over the 8 1/2-mile length of this section of the project should be on the new inside lanes by early fall.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation says drivers should slow down, obey the 60 mile-per-hour speed limit and watch for construction signs.
They are also warning drivers to expect delays as people navigate the new traffic pattern.
