ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Work has resumed on Interstate 26 near Asheville, and road closures are coming.
Contractors for N.C. Department of Transportation have returned to previously scheduled operations on the interstate after helping with hurricane recovery across Western North Carolina.
Crews from Fluor-United Joint Venture plan to close I-26 East between I-40 and Airport Road from 8 p.m. Thursday until 6 a.m. Friday. During the closure, crews will shift traffic from old asphalt to new concrete between Brevard Road and the bridge over the French Broad River, a news release from the NCDOT said.
The overnight detour will direct traffic to U.S. 25 South (Hendersonville Road) via I-40 East. Drivers will be directed to I-40 exit 50, then south on Hendersonville Road to Airport Road and back to I-26.
This operation is part of the I-26 widening projects in Buncombe and Henderson counties. By moving traffic off the old asphalt to permanent concrete, crews can begin removing the old lanes and concentrate efforts on permanent construction of new eastbound lanes over the next year.
In the weeks immediately following the devastating hurricane, Fluor-United Joint Venture crews assisted NCDOT with cut-and-shove operations, slope stabilization and road restoration.