Editor’s note: Ask Us is a weekly feature published online Mondays and in print on Tuesdays. We’ll seek to answer your questions about items or trends in Rowan County. Have a question? Email it to askus@salisburypost.com.

CHINA GROVE — The N.C. Department of Transportation says road construction will largely be complete this summer at the intersection of N.C. 152 and Interstate 85.

A reader asked about the status of construction in the area, particularly at the newly created N.C. 152 interstate exit. Road construction in recent years has created a series of roundabouts and a full interstate exit from what was previously a partial interchange. Orange cones direct traffic through the new interchange.

N.C. Department of Transportation Division 9 Engineer Pat Ivey said plantings — to allow for more favorable conditions than summer months — and lighting will not be complete this summer. Otherwise, construction at the interchange is scheduled to end in late June.

Street light installation, Ivey said, will be delayed because of a lack of utilities at the N.C. 152 and I-85 interchange.

Construction in the Main Street area in China Grove, where major traffic pattern changes were implemented in December, are scheduled to be complete by June 1, he said. There, motorists traveling south on U.S. 29 must turn right onto North Main Street in China Grove. Motorists traveling north on North Main Street must turn right onto U.S. 29.

N.C. DOT’s project website lists completion of the larger road construction project, which involves I-85’s widening, as this summer, too.

There have been weather-related delays across N.C. DOT work in southern Rowan County, Ivey said.

COVID-19 impacts

Another reader asked how local road construction is being affected by COVID-19.

Ivey said COVID-19-related impacts on construction in the I-85 area have been limited to material fabrication and supplier delays. A benefit, though, has been that reduced traffic volumes allow for work during daytime hours that would have otherwise occurred at night, he said.

No active projects have been delayed because the agency is facing expected decreases in revenue from gas taxes as well as DMV fees and other fees, Ivey said.

Most preliminary engineering for future road construction, though, is on hold. Exceptions include replacing a bridge over a railroad on Hurley School Road and track upgrades at the Salisbury train station.

Construction on widening Julian Road was delayed before the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in North Carolina. Now, Ivey said, the following projects have also been delayed:

• Bridge over fork on Grants Creek on Stirewalt Road

• Bridge over Beaverdam Creek on Godbey Road

• Bridge over Deal’s Creek on Hannah Ferry Road

• Bridge over Grant’s Creek on Airport Road

• Bridge over Grant’s Creek on Grace Church Road