Triangle residents are invited to two public workshops Thursday for the latest info on the Triangle Expressway, an 18.8-mile toll road under construction in Research Triangle Park and western Wake County.
The N.C. Turnpike Authority will provide information about construction of the two main components of TriEx:
* The Triangle Parkway – 3.4 miles through RTP, set to open in December – is an extension of the N.C. 147 Durham Freeway and will be marked with purple signs as Toll 147. It is the focus of a workshop session from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at Research Triangle Foundation headquarters, 12 Davis Drive in RTP.
* The Western Wake Freeway / Expressway / Parkway (these folks use three different names for the road, and they can’t seem to settle on one) will run 12.6 miles from the end of N.C. 540 at N.C. 55 near RTP south to N.C. 55 at Holly Spring. It opens in December 2012 and will be marked with Toll 540 signs. It is the focus of a workshop session from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Halle Cultural Arts Center, 237 N. Salem St. in Apex.
The two TriEx sections are linked by a third roadway, a stretch of the existing N.C. 540 between N.C. 54 and N.C. 55.
Turnpike project team members will answer questions at the informal workshop sessions about TriEx progress, and about NC Quick Pass, the electronic system that will be used to collect tolls.
Project information also is available online at www.ncturnpike.org.