Traffic Update: I-40 West in Asheville back open

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — A stretch of Interstate 40 in Asheville that closed this weekend for bridge rehabilitation has now reopened after issues led to a delayed reopening Monday.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) says I-40 West remained closed Monday morning into the afternoon, from Hendersonville Road (Exit 50) to I-26 East (Exit 46A) after crews encountered issues with the last batch of latex-modified concrete early Monday morning.

Work on that stretch of I-40 West had been expected to wrap up on Monday morning with the road being reopened. NCDOT reported the road reopened just before 2 p.m. on April 29.

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Drivers were notified of a detour route along I-240 West for I-40 West being closed ahead. Onramps from Hendersonville Road to I-40 West were closed with message boards alerting motorists to utilize I-40 East to I-240 West. The Brevard Road onramp to I-40 West was also be closed, and traffic was detoured to use the I-240 West detour route.

NCDOT says this is the beginning of a $27.9 million interstate rehabilitation project that includes roadway resurfacing and bridge overlays.

NCDOT said crews developed a traffic management plan to minimizes disruptions to daily traffic on I-40, but that plan requires closing stretches of I-40 for six weekends.

This work is the first of several in the coming weeks.

Later this week there will be another closure so that they can re pour the concrete, explains NCDOT Division 13 construction engineer Nathan Moneyham.

“We’re still gonna have to go back and through the nights this week, not with a full closure but with a smaller lane closure and remove the asphalt and replace it with good concrete," Moneyham said. "We expect that we’ll be out there working on this bridge specifically probably later this week. Maybe as early as Tuesday night.”

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"The closures we’re talking about for this weekend, weather permitting, will be repeated six different times in upcoming weekends," said NCDOT Chief Communications Officer David Uchiyama. "It’ll be three weekends heading west, and three weekends for I-40 heading east."

As construction continues, officials say the traffic plan includes phases with nighttime lane closures for the asphalt resurfacing, installation of a new guardrail, concrete drainage construction and pavement markers. NCDOT said alternative options included daytime closures that would have extended the length of the contract and created more traffic disruptions.