Work begins to remove the old Ballantyne Commons Parkway bridge

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Crews in the Ballantyne area are starting work to remove the old Ballantyne Commons Parkway bridge.

This old bridge spans Interstate 485 between Rea and Providence roads in south Charlotte. The new bridge is already in place, so that will help minimize the impact to drivers.

The demolition work is part of the I-485 express lanes project underway to add an express lane and deliver additional corridor improvements along I-485 between Interstate 77 and Independence Boulevard, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

Demo is expected to take at least a month to complete.

Related: New general-purpose lane on I-485 in south Charlotte now open

Each night at 9 p.m., crews will install a single lane closure, then a double lane closure at 11 p.m., a transportation official said. Rolling roadblocks will be used to slow traffic between midnight and 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday.

It’s expected to take about a month to tear the bridge down.

According to the transportation department, vehicle traffic was recently shifted to the new bridge, so drivers using Ballantyne Commons Parkway should not be affected.

Vehicle traffic was recently shifted to the new Ballantyne Commons Parkway Bridge, seen here on... — Vehicle traffic was recently shifted to the new Ballantyne Commons Parkway Bridge, seen here on the left. Demolition work is starting to take down the old bridge, seen here on the right.(Source: WBTV)

Transportation officials ask drivers to be mindful of crews working in this location and to allow extra time to reach their destination.

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