All lanes open after deadly Durham crash creates serious delays on I-40, I-885 near RDU :: WRAL.com

A busy stretch of Interstate 40 East near Raleigh-Durham International Airport reopened Friday morning several hours after Durham police found a woman who was struck by several unknown vehicles.

Durham Police said they responded to a call about a pedestrian struck on I-40 near Davis Drive around 1:30 a.m. When they arrived, they found the woman dead and said she had been struck multiple times by unknown vehicles.

The eastbound lanes of I-40 were closed for one mile, from Exit 280 at Davis Drive to Exit 281 toward South Miami Boulevard. Significant delays also extended to Interstate 885.

By 8 a.m., one lane had reopened on I-40 and traffic was flowing again. All lanes of I-40 reopened at 8:30 a.m.

Hours before the morning commute, WRAL Breaking News Tracker arrived before 4 a.m. to find several officers blocking the highway for an investigation. The police did not allow journalists to approach the scene.

WRAL’s Shaun Gallagher arrived at 6 a.m. as the backup was getting worse. According to Gallagher, the backup miles on the road looked like 8:30 a.m. rush hour instead of the usual 6:00 a.m. traffic.

Sky 5 flew over the delays at 7:15 a.m., showing miles and miles of traffic.

Police said they could not release any further information about the investigation at this time.