It may seem like workers simply quit repaving I-40 near Cary, but they’ll be back

For months last year, contractors worked to repave a stretch of Interstate 40 between Cary and Raleigh. Then late last fall, they stopped before the work was complete, leaving behind sections of rough concrete.

Rest assured, they will be back to finish the job, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation.

The repaving was part of a two-year effort to rehab a four-mile section of I-40 between Wade Avenue and U.S. 1/64 near Crossroads. The work included replacing signs and guardrails and replacing joints and the concrete surfaces of three bridges at the Wade Avenue interchange.

A top layer of old asphalt on all six travel lanes of the highway was to be removed and replaced. The concrete slabs underneath the asphalt would be evaluated and, if necessary, replaced as well.

It was all supposed to be done by last fall.

But it turned out the concrete slabs were in poorer shape than anticipated, said NCDOT spokeswoman Kim Deaner. The contractor, Crowder Construction of Charlotte, found it had to replace more of the slabs than it expected, and the whole process took much longer.

With winter coming on, Crowder put down temporary lane markings on sections of exposed concrete and “demobilized” its paving operation on Nov. 15, Deaner said.

Cold weather can cause new asphalt to crack and break apart, so paving work is generally done when the air temperature is consistently 50 degrees or higher. Crowder expects to return to I-40 in mid-May and finish the repaving work in two months, Deaner said.

Because the Crowder had to replace more concrete slabs than its contract with NCDOT called for, the company will not be penalized for not finishing the job on time, Deaner said.