Drivers hoping to head down NC 540 between Highway 55 and Davis Drive will have to find a different route at night this week.

Producers of the movie "Main Street" (starring Colin Firth, Ellen Burstyn, Patricia Clarkson and Orlando Bloom) have permission from the state of North Carolina to shut down the road from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m. every night this week.

Curious passers-by got a preview of the filming over the last few days, as crews put together an intricate truck wreck along the side of the highway.

Producers of "Main Street" are putting a lot into this scene, which they'll be shooting over the next few nights.

"It's not an easy thing to do," said Battle Whitley, an engineer from the Department of Transportation. "And it is something that took several weeks of planning."

Before settling on this spot, producers originally wanted to use a stretch of Highway 147 or a different part of NC 540.

"We told them no, they couldn't use those locations," said Whitley. "They were too busy."

Drivers who use the road had mixed feelings about it being shut down at night.

"It does leave me just one way to get home, though: down Airport Boulevard," said Morrisville's Abby Durden, who said she's glad to see the Triangle get some Hollywood attention.

Some drivers said the location is a perfect spot, since NC 540 has been built to support a lot of traffic, but hasn't been completed yet.

"If they're going to pick one, they picked the right one," said Bill Watson. "Because this is the quiet end of it."

North Carolina isn't charging the movie makers any fees for shutting down 540, but producers are footing the bill for any costs involved; the DOT insists no taxpayer money will be used.

State officials say the benefits outweigh any inconvenience.

"A lot of people get put to work and a lot of money gets put into the economy pretty quickly," said Aaron Syrett, Director of North Carolina's Film Office. "Construction material. They need artists, they need painters, they need electricians."

DOT officials say they're monitoring the roads, and if the movie causes too much of a problem during rush hour, they will make producers adjust by cleaning things up quicker or simply giving them less time to knock everything out.

According to DOT officials, drivers should use the following routes as detours around the filming:

• WESTBOUND: Exit at Davis Drive (Exit 67) and use Kitt Creek Road from Davis Drive to N.C. 55.

• EASTBOUND: N.C. 55 to Morrisville-Carpenter Road back to Davis Drive to McCrimmon Parkway to N.C. 54.

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