KANNAPOLIS — Motorists who travel through the work zone for the I-85 Corridor Improvement Project will encounter a series of closures beginning this week in Rowan and Cabarrus counties for demolition of the existing Pine Ridge Road Bridge.

“The contractor is building a more efficient bridge to accommodate the Interstate widening,” said Resident Engineer Kelly Seitz.

N.C. Department of Transportation contractors will begin work to replace the existing bridge this week, closing a five-mile section of I-85 North between Lane Street and N.C. 152  from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14 through Saturday. Sept. 16.

Work will continue in the opposite direction on Sept. 19, closing a five-mile section of I-85 South between N.C. 152 and Lane Street from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 19th, through Friday, Sept. 22.

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.

The I-85 Corridor project involves replacing and rebuilding several bridges over the interstate to meet current design requirements and eliminate substandard clearances. NCDOT is adding four travel lanes (two in each direction) to an eight-mile stretch of the interstate 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, would exceed 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.