ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Drivers traveling east on Interstate 26 south of Asheville will soon have more room to maneuver, but another overnight closure is needed before the new lanes open.
The N.C. Department of Transportation plans to open newly completed lanes of I-26 East between the bridge over Pond Road and Long Shoals Road later this week.
Crews will close I-26 East between Interstate 40 and Long Shoals Road (Exit 37) from 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, to 6 a.m. Friday, Oct. 9, to finish the work. A similar closure was scheduled Wednesday night.
During the closure, drivers will be detoured onto I-40 East to Hendersonville Road (Exit 50), where they can head south to Long Shoals Road or Airport Road.
Once the new lanes open, eastbound drivers will have four lanes for about 12 miles, from I-40 to U.S. 25 (Exit 44) in Hendersonville. Three lanes will be available from there to U.S. 64 (Exit 49).
Crews have been putting the finishing touches on the roadway, including work on pavement joints, grinding to smooth the driving surface and cutting and sealing concrete.
But the work isn’t quite finished.
Later this month, two lanes on the bridge over the French Broad River will close during daytime hours while crews seal the bridge. NCDOT has not announced specific dates for those closures.
The improvements are part of the ongoing I-26 widening project between Asheville and Hendersonville.
NCDOT is reminding drivers to stay alert, follow posted traffic signs and use caution through construction zones.