Highway leader visits NC's unusual interchange

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The federal highway administrator has visited Charlotte to discuss an unusual interchange that will connect Interstate 85 with the final segment of I-485.

Administrator Victor Mendez and Jim Trogdon of the N.C. Department of Transportation discussed the turbine interchange project Tuesday at the department's field offices in Charlotte.

It's the first turbine interchange in North Carolina and one of just a few in the United States.

The interchange with 18 bridges will cost about $92 million to build, including almost $51 million in federal money. It will cover about 100 acres and create a transition between the two highways that doesn't require drivers to slow down.

Construction is expected to be complete in June 2014.