Construction crews are in the process of demolishing the Daugherty Road Bridge over I-85 in North Carolina in order to build a new one in preparation for the highway’s widening, causing possible delays in Rowan and Cabarrus counties.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) contract began tearing down the bridge Monday, Jan. 30. A 5-mile section of I-85 North from Lane Street to N.C. 152 closed from midnight to 6 a.m. through Thursday, Feb. 2. Work will continue Friday, Feb. 3, through Monday, Feb. 6, in the opposite direction, closing 5 miles of I-85 South between N.C. 152 and Lane Street from midnight to 6 a.m.
NCDOT will put detours in place directing traffic to use U.S. 29 and Lane Street, and officers placed along the route will help drivers navigate.
Work on Daugherty Road Bridge is part of the larger I-85 widening project, which is in the early stages.
The project involves wadding four travel lanes—two in each direction—to an 8-mile stretch of the highway in Cabarrus and Rowan counties to help improve traffic flow, since NCDOT predicts traffic volume to exceed the road’s capacity by 2035 if nothing is done.
To accommodate the wider interstate, the department must also replace several bridge overpasses. The Lentz Road bridge just north of Dougherty Road would be next on the list.
The project will also add an interchange at Old Beatty Ford Road. The entire project is scheduled for completion by November 2019.
