Contractor For I-485 Says Road Will Not Open On Time

The concrete road-bed is in place and the last loads of asphalt are going down.

But a list of ‘little things’ is still creating big problems for the newest section of the beleaguered I-485.

Joe Raynor, project manager for Skanska Construction said, “No one wants to open this road for you any more than we do.”

Raynor now admits they can't make their Friday deadline for opening the road, which was supposed to be finished 19 months ago, in March of 2007.

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In fact, when asked, Raynor now won't even offer a guess.

What Skanska is offering now is a new reason for the latest delay, cold weather.

The biggest part of the project left is to put down lane markings. 75% of the section of I-485 hasn’t been striped.

The problem is the state's contract says it has to be 50 degrees for crews to put the lines down.

This week those temperatures have been tough to find and the coming weeks may only get worse.

Skanska refused to say if cold weather delays in striping could push the opening until warmer weather in spring.

So Eyewitness News called the area's top DOT engineer. Barry moose told us by phone that he has a solution to keep that from happening.

Moose says he's optimistic the road can be open to traffic by Christmas or New Year’s.

Skanska says it's working nights and weekends to make it happen but drivers, who've waited so long, like Artie Jones, are doubtful any deadlines can be believed.

“They say Christmas. How can you really say that? (I’ll believe it) When I see it,” Jones said.