I-40 Bottleneck Gets Wider

Transportation officials are slowly opening new lanes this week on Interstate 40 in west Raleigh. It's part of the North Carolina Department of Transportation's long-term plan to expand freeways in the Triangle. DOT spokesman Steve Abbot says the section of I-40 between Harrison Avenue and Highway 1 will widen from four lanes to six.

Steve Abbot: "That is one of the biggest bottlenecks of traffic in the Triangle and we widen that just to alleviate traffic, make things safer and help traffic flow better. We are on target to be finished about the end of June of this year."

Abbot says drivers should be aware that they now have to merge onto I-40 east from northbound Highway 1 instead of flowing freely onto the road. Crews also made bridges wider and built larger shoulders to prepare for future projects.