Motorists traveling on N.C. 150 in Davidson County can now access I-85 North after the new ramp opened to traffic yesterday. The opening of the new ramp marks the first time that motorists are able to access both directions of I-85 from N.C. 150.
The N.C. Department of Transportation closed the I-85/N.C. 150 interchange in October 2010 as work got under way on the I-85 Corridor Improvement Project. The original two-ramp interchange limited mobility by only allowing access to I-85 South from N.C. 150, and to N.C. 150 from I-85 North. Crews replaced the interchange with an upgraded one that will improve safety and help traffic flow more efficiently along this critical economic corridor.
“This is another example of how the I-85 Corridor Improvement Project will dramatically enhance the way drivers travel through Davidson and Rowan counties,” said NCDOT Division 9 Engineer Pat Ivey. “The design of the new interchange will streamline the flow of traffic between N.C. 150 and I-85, making it much easier for people and goods to get where they need to go.”
While construction of the new interchange was completed in April, the N.C. 150 to I-85 North ramp remained closed until crews reopened all lanes of I-85 North. The reduced lanes on I-85 North could not accommodate additional traffic merging from N.C. 150.
The interchange work was part of the $136 million contract awarded to Flatiron-Lane, a joint venture of Flatiron Constructors Inc. and The Lane Construction Corp., for phase one of the I-85 Corridor Improvement Project. This phase included widening nearly 3.5 miles of I-85 from four lanes to eight lanes and replacing eight bridges, including the I-85 bridge over the Yadkin River.
Phase two of the project is expected to be complete by the end of September. It includes extending the I-85 widening 3.8 miles from just north of N.C. 150 to just north I-85 Business, as well as reconstructing the I-85/Belmont Road interchange in Davidson County.
The I-85 Corridor Improvement Project is North Carolina’s number-one mobility project. Once it is complete, the project will not only provide a more efficient way for businesses to get their goods to market and citizens to access education, but it will also create or sustain about 400 jobs and infuse millions of dollars into the state’s economy.
For more information, visit www.i-85yadkinriver.com or follow NCDOT’s I-85 Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/NCDOT_i85.