Tonight: Weather permitting, Lane Construction Corp. continues pavement repair on the busiest part of I-40 included in this repair project -- in the WESTBOUND lanes between NC 147 Durham Freeway (Exit 279) and N.C. 55 (Exit 278, Research Triangle Park). Expect backups of more than two miles. Two of three lanes will be closed from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m.
EASTBOUND traffic is NOT affected this week or this weekend (unless Lane and DOT pull another switcheroo on short notice, as they did a couple of weekends ago).
This week, through Thursday night: Lane continues working WESTBOUND between NC 147 (Exit 279) and Fayetteville Road (Exit 276).
This weekend: Another marathon weekend of round-the-clock misery, with WESTBOUND I-40 reduced to one lane between NC 54 (Exit 273, Chapel Hill) and US 15-501 (Exit 270, west Durham and Chapel Hill) from 8pm Friday to 6am Monday.
Meanwhile:
1) DOWNLOAD our ALTERNATE ROUTE maps for WESTBOUND and EASTBOUND travel. These are road-tested maps with driver-friendly directions to help you navigate and evaluate two recommended routes for skirting construction delays:
* Westbound NC 147 Durham Freeeway / I-85 (a good road to take even during a DOT holiday) or Westbound NC 147 Durham Freeway / US 15-501.
* Eastbound I-85 / NC 147 Durham Freeway or Eastbound US 15-501 / NC 147 Durham Freeway
2) Express your I-40 angst. Let the rest of us know how these detours work out for you, or recommend another shortcut. Let me know if you've been caught in I-40 backups. Please email me or weigh in on our I-40 forum.
3) Check back at I-40 Worrier every night for the latest on repair plans, including DOT webcams and updates on traffic backups.
4) Here are some useful links:
* NCDOT: I-40 work schedule
* NCDOT: I-40 traffic delays
* NCDOT: I-40 Durham Work Zone
* Crosstown Traffic: I-40
* Road Worrier
* traffic.com: Raleigh-Durham
- Bruce Siceloff
