I-26 West section will be closed May 22: What to know about detours, timing, more

The North Carolina Department of Transportation announced overnight closure of an 18-mile stretch of Interstate-26 West tonight, Wednesday, May 22, beginning around 8 p.m.

The I-26 West work follows Tuesday night's I-26 East construction, which closed the highway from Brevard Road (Exit 33) to Airport Road (Exit 44) in Buncombe County. The May 21 closures allowed contracted crews from Fluor-United JV to shift the I-26 East onramp to new concrete and begin asphalt repairs on the 11-mile stretch.

Here's what to know about tonight's closure.

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Where will I-26 be closed?

I-26 West will be closed from U.S. 64 (Exit 49) in Henderson County to I-40 (Exit 31) to allow construction crews to conduct operations in multiple areas overnight.

When will I-26 be closed? When will I-26 reopen?

I-26 West will close no earlier than 8 p.m. tonight, and will reopen Thursday morning with new traffic patterns created by the construction work.

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What detours are there during the I-26 closure?

Detours will direct westbound traffic to U.S. 64 West into Hendersonville, and U.S. 25 North (Asheville Highway) into Buncombe County up the same road to the interchange with I-40.

The news release from NCDOT also noted that traffic lights will remain green longer along the detour routes to accommodate additional interstate traffic.

Why is I-26 closed?

I-26 West will close to allow contractor crews from Archer-Wright JV to conduct a significant traffic shift in Henderson County. This shift will involve moving westbound traffic west of Clear Creek Road onto the new concrete surface in a temporary pattern, and shifting it to the permanent pattern just west of the U.S. 25 (Exit 44) onramp.

In Buncombe County, Fluor-United contractor crews will utilize the highway closure to upgrade asphalt in several sections from Airport Road (Exit 40) to Brevard Road (Exit 33).

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Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Why is I-26 West closed in Asheville, Henderson County? Detour, timing