CHARLOTTE, N.C. — New express lanes along Interstate 485 in south Charlotte now won't open until 2025, the North Carolina Department of Transportation announced Friday.
Since 2019, crews have reached several milestones, including opening a new bridge on Elm Lane over I-485. A new free, general-purpose lane has also opened in both directions between Providence and Rea roads. However other improvements, including a wider bridge on Ballantyne Commons Parkway, a new interchange at Weddington Road, and improvements at the John Street interchange, are not yet finished.
"The public has been patient for five years, and the Department wants this project finished,” Brett Canipe, an NCDOT engineer, said in a released statement. “Our staff have been working with the contractor to develop an updated schedule we are confident will be met.”
Workforce and supply chain shortages were cited as the cause of the delays.
Once opened, the project will add one express lane in each direction on I-485 between I-77 and U.S. 74.
As previously reported by WCNC Charlotte, including in the 2022 video seen above, the project has experienced delays before.
The latest schedule can be found here.
In 2007, the city of Charlotte partnered with the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the South Carolina Department of Transportation, the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization, and other local and regional agencies to initiate a study into express lanes, which at the time was called the "Fast Lanes Study," according to the NCDOT.
"This study examined existing and planned major highways throughout a 10-county area and identified corridors that could benefit most from implementing express lanes to help manage congestion during peak travel periods," a NCDOT website explains. "The initial findings targeted Interstate 485 and U.S. 74 (Independence Boulevard) for additional study. After further evaluation, the CRTPO added the express lanes projects on I-485 and U.S. 74 to its 2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), which was adopted in April 2014."
Ultimately, NCDOT said their goal is to deliver a project to improve travel time reliability and traffic flow in the corridor.
Contact Lexi Wilson at lwilson@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.