Motorists planning to travel south on I-85 between Lexington and Concord may be delayed Saturday morning while concrete paving equipment is moved from the I-85 Corridor Improvement Project north of Salisbury to the I-85 widening project in Concord, one of three projects under way to complete the Charlotte Outer Loop.
Local NCDOT staff has coordinated the 31-mile move with Lane Construction, the prime contractor for both projects. The equipment will be used to pave future lanes on a 6.8-mile section of I-85 from south of Bruton Smith Boulevard (Exit 49) to N.C. 73 (Exit 55). The project, scheduled for completion in November 2013, will convert this section of I-85 from four to eight lanes, and will feature interchange improvements at Poplar Tent Road (Exit 52) and N.C. 73.
Crews plan to begin the move at 6:30 Saturday morning, entering I-85 South just south of Clark Road (Milepost 85), continuing south to just north of George Liles Parkway (Exit 54) through an opening in the barrier wall into the median. The move should be completed by 10 a.m.
Because the load is 21 feet wide, there will be times where both southbound lanes are taken, and vehicles will not be able to pass. The State Highway Patrol will be escorting the move, which should maintain speeds up to 55 miles an hour.
Motorists wanting to avoid possible delays may use U.S. 29 as an alternate route.
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