Public Meetings Set for Next Week in Vance and Warren Counties for I-85 Improvements Project


The N.C. Department of Transportation will hold two informal public meetings next week regarding the I-85 improvements project underway in Vance and Warren counties.

For more than 20 miles between U.S. 158 (milepost 213.5) in Vance County and the Virginia state line, contractor crews are repairing the deteriorating road surface, replacing bridges on the interstate and improving bridges over the interstate. That includes raising the clearance on several of those bridges to create safer conditions for tractor trailers traveling underneath them.

A project this big means considerable impacts for motorists with lane and ramp closures, traffic shifts and detours continuing through the end of the project in 2019. And it’s not just the interstate that will be affected, as roads such as N.C. 39 and Satterwhite Point Road, which provides key access to Kerr Lake State Recreation Area, will have lane restrictions and closings at times.

To provide updates on the project progress and let area residents know what impacts the project will have in the future, meetings are scheduled for Monday, April 17, and Tuesday, April 18. Monday’s meeting in Warren County will be at the Norlina Fire Department, 102 Center Street. On Tuesday it will be in Vance County at the Henderson Middle School, 219 Charles Street.

Both meetings will be from 5 to 7 p.m. It will be an informal session, with no set presentation so interested residents can attend at any time to see updated construction plans and learn how the contractor is doing these improvements. Display maps will be available to review at the meetings, showing traffic control plans, phased lane closures and ramp detours.

The opportunity to submit written comments will be provided at the meeting or can be sent in by April 28. That contact is Jamille Robbins, NCDOT Public Involvement Group Leader, at 1598 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, 27699-1598 or jarobbins@ncdot.gov.
NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled persons who want to participate in this meeting. Anyone requiring special services should contact Mr. Robbins as early as possible so that arrangements can be made.
NCDOT will provide interpretive services upon request for persons who do not speak English, or have a limited ability to read, speak or understand English. Please request it prior to the meeting by calling 1-800-481-6494.

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