The N.C. Department of Transportation will begin widening 6.2 miles of I-40 from west of Wade Avenue (State Road 1728) to east of the Jones Franklin Road (S.R. 5039) bridge starting this week, weather permitting.
 
The $49 million contract, which was awarded to S.T. Wooten Corp. of Wilson, also calls for a revision and upgrade of signs for I-440, with East and West designations replacing the Inner and Outer Beltline names.
 
The contractor is installing work zone signs this week.  Next week, the contractor will begin installing a median barrier along the entire length of the project. Lane closures are expected to begin in early August.
 
Work will include adding one 12-foot wide lane and one 12-foot wide shoulder in each direction of I-40, expanding the interstate from four to six lanes. The new shoulders will be built to the same depth as the roadway, which will allow for easier expansion of the highway in the future. The bridges carrying I-40 over Wade Avenue and U.S. 1/64 will also be widened so they will have the capacity for eight lanes in anticipation for future widening along this section of I-40.
 
These improvements are aimed at reducing congestion and improving traffic flow through one of the most congested areas in the Triangle.
 
At the eastbound I-40/Wade Avenue split, the roadway will be expanded to provide three lanes for I-40 from the current two lanes. There will also be signing adjustments at the interchange and I-40 interstate crest pavement markers will be placed on the three I-40 lanes to further assist motorists with lane designations.
 
Another improvement will be the installation of a dynamic message sign on I-40 westbound between Lake Wheeler Road and Gorman Street, which will display information regarding travel conditions as needed.
 
Also, near the completion of the project, motorist traveling U.S. 1/64 North needing to access I-40 East will have to merge onto I-40 prior to the Jones Franklin Road bridge. Currently, motorists do not have to merge to get onto I-40.
Motorists traveling Harrison Avenue needing to access Wade Avenue via I-40 East will no longer need to merge onto I-40 East as the existing merge condition is being eliminated.
 
The new signs being installed will show I-440 East and West around the 16-mile northern section of   the loop between Exit 293 (U.S. 1/64) and Exit 301 (the I-40/440 split). I-40 East and West will remain the route designations for the loop on the south section of Raleigh, which will no longer also be designated I-440. The new interstate route numbering is meant to help ease motorist confusion about travel on the Beltline. What has been referred to as the Outer Beltline around the northern part of the city will now be I-440 West, with what had been the Inner Beltline becoming I-440 East, and the signs referring to the Beltline being removed.
 
To lessen the inconvenience to motorists in the construction area, lane closures will only be allowed between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Monday through Friday, until 9 a.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. on Sunday. One extended weekend lane closure will also occur from 9 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday in the eastbound lane. The date of the extended closure is being determined.
 
To make travel safer and more efficient for motorists, the contractor will install two conveyer belt systems at the N.C. 54 interchange to transport stone and asphalt to the median area. The contractor estimates their use will eliminate 237 lane closures and nearly 12,000 truckload trips that otherwise would have been needed to haul the materials from the I-40 travel lanes.
 
The project is anticipated to be complete by June 30, 2011.
 
The project will be constructed using the design-build method, and funded through the use of GARVEE bonds. GARVEE stands for Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicles, and allows the N.C. Department of Transportation to borrow against future federal funding to help finance projects sooner and avoid cost increases due to construction inflation. NCDOT estimates using the design-build method will accelerate the project’s completion by as many as 18 months.
 
NCDOT reminds motorists to watch signs for construction information, stay alert and obey the posted speed limit.  Plan ahead before driving, by visiting the NCDOT Traveler Information Management Web site at www.ncdot.gov/traffictravel or call 511, the state’s free travel information line for current travel conditions.