After a year of work, the N.C. Department of Transportation will open the new ramp from I-85 North to N.C. 150 in Davidson County just north of the Yadkin River to traffic on Friday, at 6 a.m. The upgrades made will improve safety and help traffic flow more efficiently along this critical economic corridor.
“This is the first example of how the I-85 Corridor Improvement Project will dramatically enhance the way drivers travel through Davidson and Rowan counties,” said NCDOT Division 9 Engineer Pat Ivey. “We’ve completely retooled the ramp to streamline traffic flow between I-85 North and N.C. 150, which will make it much easier for people and goods to get where they need to go.”
NCDOT closed the ramp from I-85 North to N.C. 150 in October 2010 to begin the improvements. Crews replaced the ramp with a new one that better meets the needs of today’s drivers. By late 2012, NCDOT plans to open the remaining three ramps, which are currently under construction, to traffic.
The interchange work is part of the $136 million contract awarded to Flatiron-Lane, a joint venture of Flatiron Constructors Inc. and The Lane Construction Corp., for phase one of the project. It includes widening nearly 3.5 miles of I-85 from four lanes to eight lanes and replacing eight bridges, including the I-85 bridge over the Yadkin River. Phase one is scheduled to be complete by January 2013.
Gov. Bev Perdue considers the I-85 Corridor Improvement Project North Carolina’s number-one mobility project. It plays a key role in her efforts to bolster the state’s economy. Once it is complete, the project will not only provide a more efficient way for businesses to get their goods to market and citizens to access education, but it will also create or sustain about 400 jobs and infuse millions of dollars into the state’s economy.
For more information, visit www.i-85yadkinriver.com or follow NCDOT’s I-85 Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/NCDOT_i85.