If you’re taking US 70 east from Raleigh this weekend, be aware of this detour
People planning to take U.S. 70 to the coast this weekend will encounter a detour just south of Raleigh.
The N.C. Department of Transportation will close access from Interstate 40 to eastbound U.S. 70, the Clayton Bypass, starting at 10 p.m. Friday. The exit ramp closures are needed so contractors can shift traffic onto new ramps that will eventually allow N.C. 540, the Triangle Expressway, to join the I-40/U.S. 70 interchange.
NCDOT says the closures could last until 6 a.m. Monday, weather permitting.
Drivers headed east on I-40 out of Raleigh will be directed to take Exit 306 onto U.S. 70 Business into Clayton and use N.C. 42 to get to the U.S. 70 Bypass. Drivers headed west on I-40 will have the option of following that same route or getting off earlier, at Exit 312 onto N.C. 42 in the Cleveland community.
The work at the interchange is part of two projects going on simultaneously. NCDOT is widening I-40 from Raleigh south to N.C. 42 and extending N.C. 540, a six-lane toll road, across southern Wake County between I-40 and Holly Springs.
The confluence of the three highways will result in a massive interchange, covering hundreds of acres. N.C. 540 is expected to open in 2024.
This story was originally published June 9, 2023 at 9:54 AM with the headline "If you’re taking US 70 east from Raleigh this weekend, be aware of this detour."
