Think your commute to work is rough these days, well it’s about to get worse

I recently was present to hear Battle Whitley of the NC DOT speak on the subject being called the I-40/I-440 Rebuild Project which is slated to begin in May of this year.

According to the project’s website, “The 11-mile stretch of I-40 between U.S. 1 and U.S. 64/264 is 30 years old and is deteriorating due to a reaction between the rock and the cement. This means NCDOT needs to dig out and replace the pavement.

NCDOT spent $8.5 million for pavement repair on the I-40 section in 2007, and $3.4 million for pavement work on the I-440 section in 2009. Those were temporary fixes until funding was available for this project, which is expected to cost $170 million.

NCDOT will hire a contractor early 2013. Minor work, such as shoulder strengthening, will begin in the spring. Major construction, which involves long-term lane closures, is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2013. The project is expected to last three years.

The project will also extend lanes between ramps in each direction at U.S. 64/264 (Exit 293) and Lake Wheeler Road (Exit 297), and will add an extra westbound lane between ramps at Rock Quarry Road (Exit 300) and the I-40/US 64/I-440 interchange (Exit 301).

In addition, NCDOT will replace pavement on all the ramps along the 11 miles of project”.

It is estimated that 130,000 cars pass along this stretch of highway each way. If you are one of them you might want to start planning an alternate route.