Road work to close part Alston Avenue near the Durham Freeway

A section of Alston Avenue near the Durham Freeway will be closed Saturday, Dec. 16 as construction workers prepare to widen the street.

The work is part of the long-term project to replace the Pettigrew Street bridge over Alston Avenue, the road will be closed from 5 a.m. on Saturday until about sunset.

Crews will be working on sewer line installation and demolition work.

Drivers will be detoured onto Main Street and Fayetteville Street to get to the Durham Freeway, and then back to Alston Avenue at exit 11.

Drivers are urged to use caution when in the area of the work zone, and to anticipate needing some extra time while traveling through the area.

The section of Pettigrew Street between Briggs Avenue and Gann Street was already closed for the building of the new bridge, which could open by late spring/early summer 2018.

The Alston Avenue project calls for widening the road for more than a mile, in addition to building a new bridge over the Durham Freeway. The improvements are intended to reduce congestion and improve safety along the road.

Work is scheduled to wrap up in late 2019.

This story was originally published December 15, 2017 at 5:08 PM with the headline "Road work to close part Alston Avenue near the Durham Freeway."