CHINA GROVE – Road construction will detour southbound traffic on Interstate 85 near China Grove as contractors set girders for the new Old Beatty Ford Road bridge.

The work, scheduled from midnight until 6 a.m. Friday and Saturday, is part of the I-85 Corridor Improvement Project.

“Girders that support bridge decks are substantial in size, so for the safety of workers and drivers, we are detouring all traffic,” said Kelly Seitz, Division 9 resident engineer for the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Drivers will use Exit 68, U.S. 29 and Lane Street to detour around the closure. Law enforcement officers will be stationed to help direct traffic.

Ramp from Lane Street to close

Crews also will temporarily close the entrance ramp from Lane Street to I-85 North to prepare for a future traffic shift onto the new bridge that will take Lane Street over the interstate.

The ramp will be closed from 9 p.m. Friday until 9 p.m. Saturday. Traffic will be detoured west on Lane Street to U.S. 29/601 North, and back to I-85 at Exit 68 in Rowan County.

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