Crews beef up lane striping in Fortify work zone on I-440

Hoping to ease confusion for drivers, construction crews working on the Fortify project on Interstate 440 east of downtown Raleigh have beefed up lane markings throughout the work zone. 

Crews have re-applied lane striping several times in the last two and a half months after receiving complaints from motorists who traveled through the work zone. 

State Department of Transportation engineers say the old pavement in the work zone absorbed the lane stripes like a sponge. 

"We have to go deeper with our removal than you typically would," Alan Shapiro said. "And when you apply the new temporary stripes, you have to apply multiple times because the original (markings) tend to go down."

Crews have filled grooves created by the lane marking work in the I-440 pavement with new asphalt.

Construction crews responsible for rebuilding I-440 West and East between the I-40/440 split and U.S. Highway 64/264 could begin putting down new sections of highway by the middle of April, DOT officials said Friday.

Crews are continuing to tear up the old highway on I-440 West and East, but certain parts of the I-440 West between the I-40/440 split and Poole Road could be ready for new pavement by the week of April 14. 

On I-440 East, crews have also been working to break up the median barrier between U.S. 64/264 and the I-40/440 split. 

Once it is pulled up, the asphalt will be crushed and used in the asphalt plant that was built in the middle of the work zone. All of the highway being replaced will be recycled and put back down when crews begin repaving, officials said.