Editor’s note: This story has been updated since this weekend’s work was postponed.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) —
A contractor has postponed a previously-announced closure of a section of Interstate 40 this weekend, delaying work on a bridge between Interstate 26 and Hendersonville Road (Exit 50), a North Carolina Department of Transportation spokesperson said on Friday.
The earlier plan had been to close I-40 East from the I-240 East/I-26 West interchange (Exit 46B) to Hendersonville Road from 8 p.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Monday to work on the eastbound bridge over Hominy Creek.
NCDOT Communications Officer David Uchiyama said the operation might be scheduled for next weekend.
“There will be additional I-40 weekend closures between I-26 and Hendersonville Road this summer,” Uchiyama said earlier this week. “The scheduling will be determined in coordination between the contractor and NCDOT engineers while accounting for holiday weekends and weather conditions.”
When the work does happen, the primary detour will utilize I-240 East. The ramp from I-26 West to I-40 East will be closed with message boards alerting motorists to continue to I-240 East. The Brevard Road onramp to I-40 East will also be closed with traffic detoured to utilize the I-240 East detour route.
The closure last weekend made getting over the Jeff Bowen Bridge and into downtown Asheville an adventure. The traffic about noon Saturday was stop-and-go as drivers tried to navigate the intersection for I-240 and Patton Avenue.
The work is part of a $27.9 million interstate rehabilitation project that includes roadway resurfacing and bridge overlays. It will also address spalling concrete on bridge substructure components — including the piers — and improve the riding surface of the four I-40 bridges over Hominy Creek and two bridges over the French Broad River, the North Carolina Department of Transportation said in a news release. The contract calls for completion in spring 2026.
The work that had been scheduled for this weekend, involves crews to mill and scarify the bridge over Hominy Creek, mill approaches on both sides of the bridge, repair concrete as needed and over the bridge with asphalt, the release said.
As construction progresses through the year, the traffic plan includes phases with nighttime lane closures for the asphalt resurfacing, installation of a new guardrail, concrete drainage construction and pavement markers. Alternative options included regular daytime closures which would have extended the length of the contract and created more traffic disruptions.