Motorists who travel through the work zone for the I-85 Corridor Improvement Project will be encountering a series of closures over the next several weeks in Rowan and Cabarrus counties because of the demolition of the Daugherty Road Bridge.

N.C. Department of Transportation contractors will begin work to demolish the bridge next week, closing a 5-mile section of I-85 North from Lane Street to N.C. 152 nightly from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 30, until Friday, Feb. 2.

Work will continue the following week in the opposite direction, closing a 5-mile section of I-85 South, nightly from N.C. 152 to Lane Street from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 3, until Monday, Feb. 6.

Northbound and Southbound detours will be in place using U.S. 29 and Lane Street in opposite directions. Law enforcement officers will be stationed along the detour to help traffic move safely through the area.

“Following the demolition, the contractor will build a more efficient bridge to accommodate the interstate widening,” said Resident Engineer Kelly Seitz.

Overall, the project involves replacing and rebuilding several bridges over I-85 to meet current design requirements and eliminate substandard clearances. The department is adding four travel lanes (two in each direction) to an 8-mile stretch of I-85 in Cabarrus and Rowan counties to improve traffic flow. The work will complete the expansion of I-85 through Cabarrus and Rowan counties. Traffic volumes are predicted to increase each year and without these improvements, exceed the road’s capacity by 2035.

The entire project is scheduled to be complete by November 2019.

For more information about the project, you can contact NCDOT Resident Engineer Kelly Seitz at kseitz@ncdot.gov or 704-630-3220.

For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on Twitter.