Local

After delays, closures on Monroe Expressway expected to impact motorists this weekend

MONROE, N.C. — Road work on the Monroe Expressway that was twice delayed is expected to happen Friday night.

The entrance of the Monroe Expressway coming from U.S. 74 will close as crews replace bridge joints on the toll road.

Maintenance was supposed to start Friday, May 6, but that was delayed due to bad weather, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The rescheduled construction on Friday, May 13, was also postponed for weather.

The DOT rescheduled the construction to begin at 9 p.m. on Friday, May 20. It is expected to end at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 21.

In all, closures shouldn’t last more than 12 hours, officials said.

Folks headed westbound will have to bypass the expressway and go through Wingate on U.S. 74 and then through Monroe before reentering the bypass using Morgan Mill Road.

The detour route will be as follows:

  • Motorists will remain on US 74 to NC 200 (Morgan Mill Road)
  • Right on NC 200 (Morgan Mill Road)
  • Right on Monroe Expressway Westbound

>> In the video at the top of this page, Traffic Team 9′s Mark Taylor details the closure and how to navigate the delays.

(WATCH BELOW: Weekend traffic update - May 20-22)