I-485 widening

Reducing traffic on one of North Carolina's most congested routes. This was the objective achieved by the expansion project of I-485 in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The project involved expanding 9 miles (14.48 km) of the Charlotte Outer Loop of I-485 from four to six lanes, from I-77 to US 521 (Johnston Road). With an average daily traffic count of around 150,000 vehicles, it's one of the busiest stretches in the state, and the challenge was to meet the needs for improving both urban and suburban traffic flow in the area.

An additional inner lane was added in each direction and built as part of the same project. The first phase of the work involved expanding the previous four-lane configuration to six lanes by filling in the median barrier with asphalt and concrete. The second part involved adding two more lanes.

The project also includes a new overpass from US 521 North to I-485 West, the construction of a secondary lane on the outer shoulder of Westbound I-485, and the widening of existing bridges. The main purpose of the project is to increase the system's capacity and make I-485 more efficient for both local and regional traffic. Attention was also given to strengthening the outer shoulders to shift traffic onto them and free up space in the central area.

Lane Construction (Webuild Group) built an innovative central access ramp on Westinghouse Boulevard to allow construction personnel to move construction materials safely to the central point of I-485 without impacting interstate traffic.