Work to begin on Morrisville Parkway extension, interchange

Construction will soon begin on the missing link of the Morrisville Parkway in western Cary that will include a new interchange on the Triangle Expressway.

The state has awarded a $15.2 million contract to Barnhill Contracting Co. of Rocky Mount to build the interchange and a half-mile of the parkway between N.C. 55 and Green Level West Road. Barnhill can begin the work as soon as Jan. 29. The new interchange is expected to open in late 2019.

The project has been in the works for several years. The bridge that will carry the parkway over the Triangle Expressway was built before the toll road opened in 2013, which will help minimize the effect on traffic during construction. Some have referred to the disconnected Morrisville Parkway bridge as a “bridge to nowhere.”

The interchange is a joint project between the state Department of Transportation, the N.C. Turnpike Authority and the town of Cary, which pitched in on designs and environmental studies.

This story was originally published January 12, 2018 at 4:47 PM with the headline "Work to begin on Morrisville Parkway extension, interchange."