Raleigh Beltline backups to get serious in coming weeks, NCDOT says
(News & Observer – May 7, 2015)
The exit for westbound I-40 drivers turning south on South Saunders will close Friday night, followed a week later by the closing of the exit for eastbound I-40 drivers turning north – toward downtown Raleigh – on South Saunders.
“Folks will have to get used to the fact that if you’re coming from Cary and going downtown, there’s not two exits there,” said Joe Milazzo II, director of the Regional Transportation Alliance, a business group that lobbies for road improvements.
The worst delays will come when an accident shuts down the Beltline. Even if it’s just a fender bender, it won’t be easy for drivers to pull out of the traffic lanes. The I-40 shoulders are temporarily converted to travel lanes or covered with concrete barriers.
“What I’m most concerned about is when there are crashes,” Milazzo said. “The impacts are going to be more pronounced than under normal operation.”