The past few months have been a little light in construction out of the Design/Construction Division, but we are actively gearing up for what appears to be a very busy year of construction in 2015.  We have several roadway and sidewalk projects in the final phases of design and/or land acquisition stages that will break ground next spring and summer.  Please see our latest list of current projects below and helpful links that connect directly to project page websites for additional information and updates.  

If this is your first time reading our quarterly newsletter, you may subscribe via MyRaleigh Subscriptions (see link in the left sidebar) to continue receiving quarterly updates on the City's latest street and sidewalk improvement projects from the Design/Construction Division.  On behalf of the Division, we wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season!

Chris Johnson, PE, LEED AP, STP
Design/Construction Manager

Leesville Road Widening 

Construction of the Leesville Road Widening project is approximately 35% complete and although the project has been hampered from recent wet and cold weather the Contractor continues to make progress in widening along the north and east side of the road corridor, including installation of new watermain and storm drainage facilities. There will continue to be major work in the vicinity of the Crestmont Drive and Renfield Street intersection as Leesville Road is lowered a few feet to improve sight distance at this high point of the roadway.  There will also be extensive work at the Sedgefield Drive intersection where significant revisions to vertical grades will require special traffic control sequencing as the intersection is raised to a higher elevation to tie into the widened lanes of Leesville Road.  Please remember to exercise caution through the corridor and follow all traffic control signage that provides safe passage through the work zone.

This project  includes the widening of Leesville Road from I-540 to New Leesville Boulvard to a 4-lane median divided roadway.  The project includes bicycle lanes and sidewalk along both sides of the road, landscaping, and new LED street lighting. 

The estimated construction cost is approximately $5.6 million and is fully funded by the City's Capital Improvement Program.  Construction is tentatively scheduled to be completed in Fall 2015.  Please see the project web page for further details.

Freedom Drive/ Rhyne Court

Construction on the Freedom Drive/Rhyne Court project is over half way completed as the majority of utility work and storm drainage installation along the corridor has been completed. Curb and gutter is also installed in preparation for paving operations to begin, which will be followed by sidewalk installation and final seeding along the corridor by January 2015.  

Freedom Drive is a street petition project that includes widening approximately 0.60 miles along Freedom Drive to a 41' wide facility with curb and gutter, sidewalk along one side, and storm drainage improvements.   

The project budget for construction is approximately $880,000 and is fully funded by the City's Capital Improvement Program.  Construction is tentatively scheduled to be completed in early 2015.

Hillsborough Street  Revitalization Project,    Phase 2

The project design is approximately 65% complete and a public hearing is tentatively scheduled for February 2015 to obtain City Council's authorization to proceed with construction of the project. This meeting will also give the public the opportunity to comment on the project design.

This project will modify Hillsborough Street from the existing configuration of a multi-lane undivided roadway section to a two lane road with a raised median, marked bike lanes and on-street parking where feasible, from Gardner Street to the Rosemary Street / Shepherd Street intersection.  There are proposed roundabouts at Brooks Avenue, Dixie Trail and Rosemary/Shepherd Streets to replace the three previous traffic signals, which will accommodate left turning traffic and ease congestion along the corridor.  In the end, this will provide a fully functional multi-modal corridor that improves safety for motorists, transit, and bicycle use.  It will also promote a more walk-able and aesthetically pleasing corridor for pedestrians that provides a sustainable solution along this important business district and the northwest perimeter of the NC State University campus.   

Refer to the project web page  for updates and schedule information, as well as check out the project facebook page, which includes more details related to the project.

Buck Jones Road Widening

Buck Jones Road will be widened from Farm Gate Road to Xebec Way to a 3-lane undivided Avenue.  The design was approved by City Council last year at the October 1, 2013 meeting and the project is currently in the right of way acquisition phase.   Engineering design plans and contracts are being finalized in preparation to advertise and bid the project in Spring 2015.  Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in Summer  2015 and be completed in Fall 2016.  

The project includes widening of Buck Jones Road from its existing 2-lane section to a 3-lane undivided roadway.  The extra center turn lane will provide adequate turning traffic storage at driveways and intersections along the corridor.  The widened roadway will also include marked bicycle lanes, curb and gutter and sidewalks, landscaping, and new streetlights. Additionally, the Farm Gate Road and Bashford Road intersections will be replaced with new single lane roundabouts to improve traffic circulation and safety.  Overhead utilities are being consolidated and transit stops upgraded to include marked crosswalks and pedestrian refuge islands. The project  is fully funded within the City's Capital Improvement Program. Be sure to check out the  project web page for further details, project schedule, and other information.

Sandy Forks Road Widening

City Council approved the Sandy Forks Road project design at the July 15 City Council meeting.  Right of way acquisition along the corridor is underway and final engineering design and contracts are in progress for preparation to advertise and bid the project for construction in Spring 2015.  The Public Art and Design Board also recently approved a funding allocation for this project to include a public art component and the procurement process will begin shortly to get an artist on board for the project.  This effort will include collaboration with the City's Planning Department to add a historical and educational piece to the art project.   More details will follow as this process gets going over the next few months.  Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in early Summer 2015 with completion in Fall 2016.

Sandy Forks Road is a 2-lane divided Avenue in the City of Raleigh's Proposed Street Plan.  This project was also previously approved to become the City's first pilot project in the Greenroads program, which is a sustainability rating system for transportation projects.  The project will include the widening and rehabilitation of Sandy Forks Road between Six Forks Road and Falls of Neuse Road, including installation of bike lanes and sidewalks on both sides of the roadway. The project will improve traffic capacity and congestion, pedestrian connectivity, safety, and provide a multi-modal solution between the residential and retail / business districts at each end of the corridor while promoting Complete Street design standards.  The project also includes stormwater management measures to reduce impacts of runoff to adjacent properties along the corridor.

Be sure to check out the project web page for further details, project schedule, and other information as the project moves forward. 

Lenoir Street/South Street Two-Way Conversion

City Council approved the project design at their June 17 meeting and the project is currently in the late stages of the right of way acquisition phase.  The project is tentatively scheduled to be advertised for construction in early 2015.  Construction should begin in begin in Spring 2015 and be completed by Fall 2015. 

Lenoir Street and South Street are two minor thoroughfare roadways in the City of Raleigh's Comprehensive Transportation Plan.  The project was funded in the 2013 Capital Improvement Program and will convert the remaining sections of these two roadways from their existing one-way configuration to two-way traffic.  The project also includes water/sewer replacements, storm drainage, traffic signal upgrades, and improved facilities for pedestrians, bicycles, and transit.  

Mitchell Mill Road Widening

City Council approved this project for construction at the December 2 meeting this month, approving the project to move forward with right of way acquisition along the corridor. The right of way acquisition will take approximately 9-12 months with construction advertisement of the project tentatively scheduled for Fall 2015.  Construction should begin in Spring 2016 and end in Fall 2017.

This project includes widening Mitchell Mill Road between Louisburg Road and Forestville Road to a four-lane median-divided curb and gutter facility with sidewalks, striped bike lanes, and streetlights on both sides. Also included in this project are turn-lane improvements and culvert replacement at the intersection of Mitchell Mill Road and Forestville Road, and new water main installation to connect existing sections currently installed along the corridor. 

For further information, please refer to the project web page for further details, schedule, and other information related to the project.

With the passing of the two transportation bonds in 2011 and 2013, there has been a large influx of funding to support pedestrian improvement projects around the City.  The Design/Construction Division is currently working on design of over 25 sidewalk projects, some funded locally and some through shared grant funding through CAMPO.

Some of the major pedestrian projects currently under development include Capital Boulevard, I--40 Bridges Pedestrian Retrofits, Six Forks Road, Millbrook Road, New Hope Road, Wade Avenue, Wake Forest Road, Spring Forest Road, Poole Road, Raleigh Boulevard, Green Road, Blue Ridge Road, and New Hope Church Road.  These projects will increase inter-connectivity of sidewalks and walkability for the citizens of Raleigh, as well as update existing corridors to comply with updated ADA guildelines related to accessibility for handicapped and/or visually impaired.

Please see the sidewalks web page for more information on all of our current sidewalk projects.

Six Forks Road Pedestrian Improvements Project

The City of Raleigh is proposing new sidewalk improvements along Six Forks Road between Coleridge Road and Wake Forest Road. The project will include new sidewalk along the north side of the road, improvements to retrofit existing curb ramps to meet ADA requirements, and improvements at the Wake Forest Road intersection.  The project is in the final design stages and is tentatively scheduled to be advertised for construction by January 2015 with construction tentatively scheduled for Spring 2015 and completion by Fall 2015.

The construction budget on this project is $365,000, which includes 80% federal funding and 20% funding by the City of Raleigh Capital Improvement Program.  The project is tentatively scheduled to begin construction in spring 2015 and be completed by late 2015.

Traffic calming projects are funded by the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (NTMP).  Major traffic calming projects are those projects that require more intensive measures than simply speedbumps to promote a safer environment for pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicular traffic within the City's neighborhood streets.  This may include installation of curb bump outs, raised medians, mini-roundabouts, channelized intersections, chicanes, or other measures to create an atmospere that is less conducive to speeding traffic.  Many of these measures also create safer accommodations for pedestrian crossings at intersections or mid-block crossings.

The Brookside Drive traffic calming project (Watauga Street to Glascock Street) will begin construction in January 2015.  The project was combined with a Public Utility Improvement project along Brookside Drive and should be completed by Fall 2015.  Other major traffic calming projects currently under design include Kaplan Drive (construction mid-late 2015), Glascock Street (construction late 2015-early 2016), and Milburnie Road (construction late 2015-early 2016). 

Please refer to the streets web page for further details on our current traffic calming projects.  If you wish to see how you can petition for traffic calming improvements in your neighborhood, please refer to the traffic calming program web page for further details.