ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Drivers who travel through Asheville at night should plan for more lane closures this week as construction on the Interstate 26 Connector keeps moving.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation posted its schedule for Oct. 25-30 on Friday. Most of the work is set for overnight hours, when traffic is lighter.
Monday night is the busiest. Starting at 9, crews will close the right lane of I-240 east and I-26 west between Exits 2 and 3A, reopening it by 6 the next morning. An hour earlier, at 8, the right lane of U.S. 23 north and I-26 west will be blocked near mile marker 26, and a northbound lane of Riverside Drive in front of Riverside Stump Dump will also be shut until 6 a.m.
On the Patton Avenue frontage road, the right lane between Cliff Street and the Sam’s Club gas station driveway will be closed nightly from 9 until 6 a.m. while workers pull out curb and lay new pavement. Friday night brings the mirror image of Monday’s interstate closure, with the right lane of I-240 west and I-26 east shut between Exits 2 and 3A over the same overnight hours.
Flaggers will also direct traffic on Riverside Drive during the day while crews carry out a jack-and-bore operation. The department warned that all of the work depends on the weather and the schedule could shift.
The closures are part of a project NCDOT broke ground on in April. When it is finished, the connector will tie I-26 on the city’s south side to the U.S. 19/23/70 corridor to the north and give western North Carolina a continuous interstate route to the Port of Charleston. It is also meant to fix the tight merge at the Bowen Bridges, where through traffic and local drivers now share a cramped stretch of road.
The project is estimated to cost $1.8 billion in state and federal money, with construction underway on both its North and South sections and completion expected in late 2031.
Section: More Asheville NC crime news
Filed under: Asheville NC Traffic News
