Crews will work Friday night to fix ‘ghost lanes’ on I-77

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - The contractor responsible for the I-77 Toll Lane Project will work to remove old lane markings on part of I-77 near I-85 Friday evening.

According to Sugar Creek Construction, they will close the two left lanes on I-77 Southbound near I-85 from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. to grind out the old lane markings.

Work has already been completed along the stretch of highway under construction to try and clear markings and paint new lines to help guide drivers.

“You don’t see it coming. You are in your lane and all the sudden someone is merging into you,” said driver Leonard Johnson.

“You are driving and all the sudden the lane just shifts,” said driver Crystal Graham. “I wish as a driver there were clearly marked lanes.”

The contractor said that, “Highly reflective lane striping and snowplowable markers currently are not installed because they would have to be removed for construction and paving operations taking place.”

There are several areas where striping and markers need to be updated and crews are addressing those areas as weather conditions allow.

“Every time they shift the lanes, the markings from the previous lanes sometimes get blurred out and sometimes they don’t,” said Michelle Ferlauto with the Lake Norman Transportation Safety. “Drivers are presented with multiple lanes or sometimes no lanes at all.”

Issues were fixed near exit 23 in Huntersville and now the attention will be on the portion near I-85.

“You don’t see it coming. You are in your lane and all the sudden someone is merging into you," said Jonson.

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