The N.C. Department of Transportation will be closing the ramp from Bruton Smith Boulevard to I-85 North in Concord at 10 p.m. tonight, weather permitting. The closure is part of the 6.8-mile I-85 widening project, improving I-85 from four to eight lanes from south of Bruton Smith Boulevard (Exit 49) to north of N.C. 73 (Exit 55).
 Contractor Lane Construction has to close the ramp again to continue installing a 30-inch storm drain. While the ramp was closed last night, crews had to pump water out of the drainage area, slowing down the operation.
During tonight’s closure, traffic will be detoured from Bruton Smith Boulevard to I-85 South to Mallard Creek Church Road (Exit 46) back to I-85 North.
The ramp will reopen by 6 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 19.
Starting at 8 p.m., crews will temporarily close the right lane of I-85 South near the I-85 Business ramp. At midnight, they will close the I-85 Business South ramp at the merge with I-85 to allow to crews to restripe the ramp, so they can continue widening work on I-85.
Motorists traveling south on I-85 Business during the closure will take the following detour route:
•Exit I-85 Business at Exit 84 (Linwood Road);
•Turn left onto the Hargrave Road overpass;
•Turn right to continue on Hargrave Road; and
•Turn right onto the I-85 South entrance ramp.
Signs will alert motorists to the detour, and law enforcement officers will be present to assist traffic flow.
The closures are scheduled to end by 6 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 20, but crews will reopen I-85 Business and the right lane of I-85 South as soon as the work is complete. The new traffic configuration and closures will allow crews to construct the new outside lanes and shoulder for I-85 South near I-85 Business.
To promote safety, NCDOT urges drivers passing through the work zone to slow down and pay attention to construction-related signs. While construction is under way, motorists can monitor traffic flow on the project website at www.i-85yadkinriver2.com/camera.html.
NCDOT broke ground in September 2010 on the southern segment of the project, which involves replacing eight bridges, widening 3.3 miles of I-85 from north of Long Ferry Road (Exit 81) in Rowan County to just north of the N.C. 150 interchange in Davidson County and reconstructing the N.C. 150 interchange. The northern segment extends the reach of the interstate widening 3.8 miles from north of N.C. 150 to just north of I-85 Business. Work on both phases is concurrent and scheduled to be complete by May 2013.
For more information on both phases of the $201.5 million project, visit www.i-85yadkinriver.com. To receive instant updates on traffic pattern changes, construction-related congestion and project milestones, follow NCDOT’s I-85 Twitter feed, https://twitter.com/NCDOT_I85.