Motorists can drive on the newly constructed exit ramp from I-85 North to Belmont Road at Exit 86 in Davidson County, starting Wednesday. The N.C. Department of Transportation will open the new ramp to traffic at 6 a.m.
The ramp was built to accommodate the widening of I-85 and the construction of the new Belmont Road bridge, which are components of the northern segment of the I-85 Corridor Improvement Project. Motorists using the new ramp will have the option of turning right on Belmont Road, or if they are going to Bill’s Truck Stop, they can travel straight through the new Belmont Road interchange and turn left onto the old Belmont Road bridge.
Work on the new Belmont Road bridge over I-85 is progressing. On April 6, crews poured the concrete to form the final segment of the driving surface of the new bridge. The new bridge is scheduled to open to traffic later this month. Pictures of this process can be seen on the project website at www.i-85yadkinriver2.com/photos.html.
While construction is under way, motorists can monitor traffic flow on the project website at www.i-85yadkinriver2.com/camera.html.
NCDOT broke ground in September 2010 on the southern segment of the project, which involves replacing eight bridges, widening 3.3 miles of I-85 from north of Long Ferry Road (Exit 81) in Rowan County to just north of the N.C. 150 interchange in Davidson County and reconstructing the N.C. 150 interchange. The northern segment extends the reach of the interstate widening 3.8 miles from north of N.C. 150 to just north of I-85 Business. Work on both phases is concurrent and should be complete by May 2013.
For more information on both phases of the $201.5 million project, visit www.i-85yadkinriver.com. To receive instant updates on traffic pattern changes, construction-related congestion and project milestones, follow NCDOT’s I-85 Twitter feed, https://twitter.com/NCDOT_I85.