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Prepare for weeks of lane closures as a contractor does preliminary work on the first stretch of a $1.5 billion widening of Interstate 85 near Charlotte, state highway officials said Friday.

Lane closures are scheduled to begin Sunday night near the I-85 bridge over the South Fork Catawba River, just north of McAdenville in Gaston County, officials said.

Closures will allow engineers to “begin a geotechnical investigation” for the first, $337 million stretch of widening, according to a North Carolina Department of Transportation news release.

Engineers will learn through the investigation what’s under the road surface, officials said. The findings will be used to help design a wider bridge, according to the state.

“Starting Sunday night, the right lane of I-85 North near the bridge will close from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., continuing through Friday morning, depending on the contractor’s progress,” according to an NCDOT news release on Tuesday.

The right lane closure was originally expected to continue through Thursday.

First stretch of widening is under design

NCDOT awarded the $337 million contract to Lane Construction Corp. this year for the first segment of the project, which includes:

• An additional lane in each direction from N.C. 7 Exit 23 to N.C. 273 Exit 27).

• Fixing or replacing the bridge and several others along the route.

• Improvements to interchanges to lessen congestion.

The first stretch of widening is under design, and construction is “likely to begin” next summer, according to NCDOT.

The initial stretch spans four congested, wreck-prone miles of Interstate 85, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.

Lane Construction Corp. will widen I-85 from six to eight lanes, with a 26-foot median between N.C. 7 exit 23 in Mount Holly and N.C. 273 exit 27 near the Catawba River in Belmont, according to NCDOT.

Bridges to be replaced or improved are on N.C. 7 over I-85; I-85 over the South Fork Catawba River; Hickory Grove Road over I-85; Belmont-Mt. Holly Road/Main Street over I-85; P&R Railway over I-85, east of Belmont-Mt. Holly Road; and N.C. 273 over I-85.

The intersection of N.C. 7/U.S. 29/U.S. 74 (Wilkinson Boulevard) will be redesigned to reduce wrecks, according to NCDOT.

Widening I-85 to U.S. 321

NCDOT eventually plans to expand the interstate to U.S. 321 in Gastonia, totaling about 10 miles of widening and other improvements.

In late 2028, the department intends to advertise for bids on the segment from McAdenville Road exit 23 to the U.S. 321 interchange exit 17, officials said.

The intersection of Cox Road and U.S. 29-74/Franklin Boulevard will be improved.

A contractor and designer are working on plans for three railroad bridges and a roadway bridge through the section.

NCDOT first revealed plans for the 10-mile widening in August 2022.

It's not just people that recognize Amy Bossard when she frequents local farmers markets ― dogs do too, and for good reason. Bossard operates Simply American Dog Treats, a food truck that sells dog and cat treats.

"I am a destination business," Bossard said. "No day is ever the same. I love meeting my customers."

Bossard opened her business in July 2018, and since then, it's taken off. She sells dog treats at the Belmont Farmers Market, as well as other farmers markets in both North and South Carolina.

"It started out as a tent, kind of a pop-up," she said. "And has had several different iterations and several different trucks. This will be the final."

Bossard has worked in the pet industry for years, "and this was just something fun that I've always wanted to do," she said. "It's important to me to give my dogs really good, healthy treats, so I wanted to share that with my customers."

Bossard has four dogs, a Labrador retriever mix, two schnauzer mixes, and a yorkie-poo.

Bossard said that dogs know where to find her at the farmers markets she frequents.

"And they get upset if I'm not in the same spot, because they can't find me," she said.

Bossard makes treats from sweet potatoes, ostrich liver, beef liver, pork liver, chicken liver, dehydrated chicken feet, and pig ears. She gets her meat from local farmers.

"If you come over, don't open my freezer," she said, laughing.

Her recipes are a secret. She has a trademark pending on "livermutt" dog treats, made mostly of livermush, "but dog tummy friendly," she said.

She hopes to have a brick-and-mortar shop sometime in the future.

"But right now, I'm really happy with how the farmers market business model is working," she said.

Owner Alex Hostetler plans to spotlight diverse food truck concepts and give small operators a platform to grow.

BELMONT, NC — A new outdoor dining destination is on its way to downtown Belmont. Food Truck Alley, a curated food truck park from local owner Alex Hostetler, is taking shape at 2 Airline St, Belmont, NC 28012. Hostetler told Business Debut the venue is expected to open before the end of the year.

Food Truck Alley will be a fully outdoor venue featuring six semi-permanent food truck vendors—three on each side of a central communal space. The middle area will include picnic tables, artificial turf, string lights, and likely some sun shades to create a casual, open-air atmosphere for guests.

There is potential in the future to add a bar to the site, but the plans are still pending approval, and the focus is to debut the food trucks as soon as possible.

Hostetler said the goal is to curate a diverse lineup of food options without overlap. “I want every vendor to be unique. If someone’s doing ice cream, they’ll be the only one doing ice cream,” he said. Vendor selection has not yet begun, but is expected to start in the coming months.

Beyond the food, Hostetler emphasized that Food Truck Alley is designed to serve as a community space. “At the end of the day, I just wanted to make it all about the community and create something that’s of great value for the community,” he told Business Debut.

He also noted that the park may act as an incubator for small operators. “I'm hoping also that they can probably act a little bit as an incubator and get people exposed to the community in Belmont. The local community is a really vibrant and strong community and it's also one that really loves to go out to eat," Hostetler said.

An individual food truck previously served açaí on the lot that Hostetler purchased for the park, and he reported that they expanded into a brick and mortar location nearby. Hostetler aims to enable more upcoming food trucks to do the same.

The team is targeting an opening before the end of the year, with construction work wrapping up shortly after final city approval.

Hostetler said hours are not finalized but will likely include lunch and dinner seven days a week.

Halloween is right around the corner and children are picking out costumes. For families looking for candy-filled events this season, here is a look at some trunk-or-treat opportunities for kids and other fall festivals happening in Gaston in coming weeks.

Trunk-or-treat

Other city-sponsored events

Bessemer City’s Creepy Crawl, which is set to take place from 1-6 p.m. Oct. 26, on West Virginia Avenue. It will include vendors, drinks from Stardust Cellars Meadery, live music from artists World Sauntering Day and The Raven & The Road, and a ghost tour from 5-6 p.m.

Cherryville’s “Scaryville” will include a costume contest with a $500 cash prize, “ghostly” hayrides, a beer garden and a pumpkin play area for children from 6-10 p.m. Oct. 17. In the city’s downtown.

Halloween Fest, which will take place from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Citizens Resource Center at Dallas Park, 1303 Dallas-Cherryville Hwy. in Dallas. It will include candy, games, a costume contest and activities.

Break out some dancing shoes for Lowell's adult Boo-goe Night, which will include music and dancing. Costumes are encouraged. The event costs $5 to enter.

Local business events

Some local businesses are also hosting Halloween parties, spooky story times and more. Here is a look at some of those events:

Traust Brewing

Vampyre's Ball 7:30 p.m. Oct. 17, at 128 S. Main St. in Mount Holly.

Daniel Stowe Conservancy

Spookeasy at Farmhouse from 5-8 p.m. Oct. 17.

Cars Coffee: Trunk-or-Treat from 8:30-10 a.m. Oct. 19.

Moonlight Series: Campfire Spooky Stories from 6:30-8 p.m. Oct. 24

Bootanical event from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 19. Children in costume get in free. All events take place at 6500 S. New Hope Road in Belmont.

The Rooster

Shocktober Halloween Bash 6-11:30 p.m. Oct. 31, at 334 W. Main Ave. in Gastonia.

Primal Brewery

Halloween Bash 6-11 p.m. Oct. 31, at 52 Ervin St. in Belmont.

Summit Beer

Halloween Bash from 7-11 p.m. Oct. 31, at 122 S. Main St. in Mount Holly.

Confluence

Halloween Party from 7-11 p.m. Oct. 31, on Center St. in Cramerton.

Kates Skating Rink

Halloween sip & skate from 8-11 p.m. Oct. 31, at 1151 Skating Rink Drive in Gastonia.