New travel lanes on I-440W to be opened Sunday

Construction crews from Granite Construction will be forced to work quickly overnight Saturday to switch travel lanes from the two outside lanes to the two inside lanes of I-440 West between the Interstate 40/440 split and U.S. Highway 64/264. Weather permitting, crews will begin to move construction barrels and median barriers at 11 p.m. Saturday.

The new traffic pattern will be slightly more complicated for drivers as they move up I-440 West, because they will be forced to cross two lanes under construction and the shoulder when they use exit ramps at Poole Road and U.S. 64/264. The lane shift for drivers accessing I-440 West from I-40 will also be more noticeable, officials said Friday.

The new traffic pattern will also essentially eliminate the shoulder along the stretch of I-440 in the work zone. DOT officials say drivers that experience car trouble should make every effort to get to the next exit. If a driver does break down in the work zone, the driver should stay inside the vehicle, turn on its flashers and call 911.

Crews are also continuing paving work on I-440 East, and traffic will be shifted onto new lanes on that side of the highway by the middle of August.

Once the paving on I-440 is done, crews will shift their attention to I-40, which makes up the bulk of the 11.1-mile rebuild project.

Although no major work is ongoing on I-40, there is bridge prep work and shoulder paving being done to prepare the highway for the major portion of the project.