RALEIGH — A minor lane shift will affect southbound traffic on Interstate 85 at Belmont Road (Exit 86) in Davidson County early Thursday, the North Carolina Department of Transportation said Wednesday.

Starting at 8 p.m. tonight, crews will close the right lane to work on the new Belmont Road exit loop. The work is part of the northern segment of the I-85 Corridor Improvement Project.

The lane closure and traffic shift are scheduled to end at 6 a.m. on Thursday, but crews will reopen the lane as soon as the work is complete.

To promote safety, the N.C. Department of Transportation urges drivers passing through the work zone to slow down and pay attention to construction-related signs.

NCDOT broke ground in September 2010 on the southern segment of the I-85 Corridor Improvement Project, which involves replacing eight bridges, widening 3.3 miles of I-85 and reconstructing the N.C. 150 interchange. The northern segment extends the interstate widening by an additional 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 in the summer.