Capital Boulevard reconstruction complete, except for the artwork on the bridges
Nearly four years after work got started, the reconstruction of a one-mile stretch of Capital Boulevard just north of downtown is almost finished.
All that’s missing is the artwork on the new bridges that carry Wade Avenue over Capital Boulevard and Capital over Peace Street. Contractors for the N.C. Department of Transportation are fabricating the steel grills designed by artist Vicki Scuri and should have them installed on the bridge spans by the end of the year.
Scuri, who lives and works outside Seattle, says she drew inspiration for the pattern in the metal panels from Raleigh’s oak trees and the nearby Pigeon House Branch Creek. The panels will run the length of the bridges, under the railings, between concrete medallions sculpted in the pattern of an abstract oak leaf.
The beams behind the stainless steel grills will help the pattern stand out during the day, said Eric Lamb, the city’s transportation planning manager. At night, the grills will be backlit with LED lights.
“The stainless steel will contrast against the rust color of the bridge girders,” Lamb said. “But then at nighttime it’s really going to pop.”
Both bridges were more than 60 years old, with outdated designs. As NCDOT set out to replace them, it worked with the city to overhaul the entire stretch of Capital, including new sidewalks, a grassy median and a greenway trail connection under the Wade Avenue bridge.
NCDOT proposed incorporating art into the new bridges, and the city agreed to pay Scuri $40,000 for the designs and budget $880,000 for materials and installation. Lamb said as NCDOT builds bridges around the state it has begun to look for design elements that can make them more attractive.
“They’re built to last 50 years,” Lamb said. “And for a relatively small amount extra, they can really become iconic and identifiable touchstones for the community.”
The $37 million project also resulted in a new configuration of the Peace Street interchange that replaced the old ramps to and from Capital Boulevard. The new footprint resulted in the demolition of several businesses along Peace Street, including Finch’s Restaurant, which dated back to the 1940s. The restaurant moved to Durham before closing in the spring of 2018.
Last September, the City Council approved a request by Kane Realty and Williams Realty to rezone the land where those businesses stood to allow a tower up to 40 stories tall.
Construction on the Capital Boulevard project began in the fall of 2016 and at times resulted in lane closures or detours that slowed traffic in and out of downtown. NCDOT twice fined the contractor, Zachry Construction, when weekend work wasn’t finished in time for Monday morning rush hour, resulting in long delays for in-bound commuters.
This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 6:30 AM with the headline "Capital Boulevard reconstruction complete, except for the artwork on the bridges."
