Work to repair the NC 86 bridge over Interstate 85 near Hillsborough will require nightly closures this week, beginning Wednesday night.
According to the N.C. Department of Transportation, I-85 South will be closed underneath the NC 86 bridge from 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 21, to 7:00 a.m. the following morning (weather permitting) to allow contractors to repair damaged beams. This closure will be repeated the night of Thursday, September 22.
The closures follow a fiery crash in which the State Highway Patrol said the driver in a tractor trailer traveling southbound on I-85, near the exit ramp to NC Highway 86, struck the overpass at 2:22 a.m. last Wednesday, September 14. The tractor trailer was engulfed in flames, and the driver did not survive, according to the State Highway Patrol.
During this time, a detour will guide southbound traffic to use the NC 86 interchange to bypass the closure and get back on I-85.
Daytime work to repair a damaged concrete pillar will require the ongoing closure of the right lane of I-85 South near the bridge.
NCDOT officials estimate the bridge will be reopened late this week or early next week.
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