Wednesday, Feb. 03, 2010

Relief coming for crunch at nexus of I-40 and I-540

A $7.6 million lane addition is designed to ease congestion near Research Triangle Park

The state Department of Transportation will start work this spring on a long-sought project to ease congestion at one of the Triangle's worst rush-hour pinch points: the cramped interchange of Interstates 40 and 540 near Research Triangle Park.

The DOT is about to award C.C. Mangum of Raleigh a $7.6million contract to add an outer lane that will ease morning backups on westbound I-540 and westbound I-40.

The added lane will start on I-540 just south of the Pleasant Grove Church Road overpass, continuing into the exit collector lane and the off-ramp onto westbound I-40, ending at the Page Road exit. The lane should be completed by December, DOT said.

Currently, morning commuters who exit I-540 there are funneled into a single lane that combines drivers bound for I-40 west (toward RTP) and I-40 east (toward Raleigh).

Drivers exiting I-40 onto Page Road sometimes are backed up on I-40 and up the single-lane off-ramp from I-540.

When the work is finished late this year, the exit ramp onto westbound I-40 will be two lanes wide, and I-40 drivers will have more room to maneuver onto the Page Road exit. Most of the work will be done at night.

"This is a real good project," said Joey Hopkins, assistant division engineer for a seven-county area that includes Durham and Wake counties. "Between 540 and Page Road, there will be less weaving, less conflict, and a better flow."

Included with the interchange improvement is a project to resurface I-40 from N.C. 147, the Durham Freeway, to a point just east of I-540 and the Durham-Wake line.

Also in the next few days, DOT is expected to award contracts totaling more than $33million for other Triangle road work, including three new bridges and the resurfacing of more than 100 miles of highways and secondary roads in Wake, Durham and Orange.

Also among these contracts is a project to widen part of Old Fayetteville Road in Carrboro and install traffic signals.