CHINA GROVE – Drivers who travel through the work zone for the Interstate 85 Corridor Improvement Project will encounter nightly closures between Mile Markers 63 and 68 on I-85 southbound while crews install beams for the N.C. 152 bridge in China Grove.

Those parts of the highway will close from midnight to 6 a.m. starting Thursday and through Nov. 4.

Southbound traffic will be able to navigate around the closure using U.S. 29 and Lane Street as a signed detour route.

Law enforcement officers will be stationed at the detour to help traffic move safely through the area. Transportation officials remind motorists to watch signs for construction information and obey the posted speed limit.

Overall, the project involves replacing and rebuilding several bridges over I-85 to meet current design requirements and eliminate substandard clearances. The N.C. Department of Transportation is adding four travel lanes — two in each direction — to an 8-mile stretch of I-85 in Cabarrus and Rowan counties to improve traffic flow.

The work will complete the expansion of I-85 through Cabarrus and Rowan counties.

The project is scheduled to be complete by November 2019.

For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on Twitter.