A contractor for the North Carolina Department of Transportation will start a $49 million project to widen a stretch of I-40 this week.

The contractor, the S.T. Wooten Corporation, will build an extra lane in each direction of I-40 from Wade Avenue to Jones Franklin Road.

Up to 150,000 motorists use this six mile stretch of I-40 each day.

"Around rush hour it's really bad, really bad," said Raleigh resident Nicholas McNair.

DOT expects it to get busier.

"By 2035, the traffic is expected to increase to over 185,000 vehicles per day," said Dennis Jernigan, a division construction engineer for the North Carolina Department of Transportation. "It's obviously a much needed project. The Regional Transportation Alliance has it rated as their number one priority on the expressway widening project."

Most of the work will take place in the median, Jernigan said. And drivers shouldn't expect too many disruptions during most of the construction, which should be complete by 2011.

DOT is using bonds to pay for the project.

As part of the project, DOT will also try to make the beltline less confusing for motorists. It will take down signs referring to the inner and outer beltline and label them I-440 East and I-440 West.