I-40 West section will be closed April 26-29: What to know about detours, more
Interstate 40 West will be closed this weekend for fixes to infrastructure. Read more below, and visit drivenc.gov for live traffic updates.
Where will I-40 be closed?
Crews will close I-40 West from Hendersonville Road (Exit 50) to I-26 East (Exit 46A), according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
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When will I-40 West be closed?
Weather permitting, the affected section of I-40 West will be closed for most of the weekend into the early hours of Monday morning, from 8 p.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Monday.
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What detours are there during the I-40 West closure?
NCDOT says detour routes will notify motorists to use I-240 West. Onramps from Hendersonville Road to I-40 West with message boards advising motorists use I-40 East to I-240 West. The Brevard Road onramp to I-40 West will also be closed, with traffic directed to utilize the I-240 West detour route.
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Why will I-40 be closed?
The weekend closure will allow contract crews to begin rehabilitating bridges and resurfacing between Hendersonville Road and I-26, according to an NCDOT news release. Crews from DBA Harrison Construction Co. of Asheville will complete this work, marking the beginning of a $27.9 million interstate rehabilitation project including roadway resurfacing and bridge overlays.
The project will also address cracked and delaminated concrete on bridges including piers, and improve the riding surface of the four I-40 bridges over Hominy Creek and two over the French Broad River, NCDOR said. The contract states that the project should be completed in the spring of 2026.
North Carolina Department of Transportation traffic engineers with the project team and contractor have developed a traffic management plan to minimize disruptions to daily traffic on I-40, but the plan does require closing stretches of I-40 for six weekends in total to safely and efficiently repair the bridges.
Going forward this year, the traffic plan includes phases involving nighttime lane closures for asphalt resurfacing, installation of new guardrail, concrete drainage construction and pavement markers.
This type of closure was chosen in lieu of regular daytime closures, which would have extended the length of the contract and created more traffic disruptions.
The contractor will also install pedestrian protections for users of the French Broad River Greenway under the full width of the bridges over the greenway, NCDOT said. The protection will be installed during night time hours, starting as soon as this week. These instillations will occur the greenway is closed to reduce impacts to users.
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: I-40 West in Asheville to close over weekend: detours on I-240
