Come see how NCDOT would turn US 70 into a freeway between Raleigh and Durham
The public will soon get to see the state Department of Transportation’s latest ideas for turning U.S. 70 into a freeway from Interstate 540 in Raleigh into Durham.
The six-mile highway would speed traffic between the two cities, providing a northern freeway alternative to I-40. It would also mean eliminating direct access to U.S. 70 from homes, businesses and side roads and turning larger intersections into interchanges, with ramps and bridges.
NCDOT will present maps showing its plans and take feedback at two public meetings next week, on Tuesday, Oct. 30, in Raleigh at the Embassy Suites, 8001 Arco Corporate Dr., and on Thursday, Nov. 1, at Grove Park Chapel, 605 Sherron Road. The same maps will be shown at both meetings, which will run from 4 to 7 p.m.
The freeway would be built in two phases. The first, at the Raleigh end, would turn the intersections of Brier Creek Parkway and T.W. Alexander Drive into interchanges and would create a new interchange for the extension of Aviation Parkway, which would end at U.S. 70 between T.W. Alexander and Page Road.
The second phase would extend the freeway five miles into Durham to tie in with the East End Connector. It would mean eliminating access to Page Road from U.S. 70 and turning the intersection of U.S. 70, South Miami Boulevard and Sherron Road into an interchange.
NCDOT expects to begin acquiring property for the first phase next summer, with construction scheduled to begin in 2021. Construction on the second phase wouldn’t begin until 2024. Altogether, the two projects are expected to cost more than $200 million.
The public got to see some options for the Raleigh end of the freeway early last year, and NCDOT has refined its plan based in part on the feedback it received, said Elmo Vance, the project manager. In the new version, both Brier Creek Parkway and T.W. Alexander Drive would pass over U.S. 70, with new ramps to get on and off.
This will be the first time that NCDOT has presented ideas for the second phase, of turning U.S. 70 into a freeway on the east side of Durham. At this point it has two options — one that puts the freeway just to the north of the current U.S. 70 and one that puts it just to the south.
In both cases, the proposed interchange at South Miami and Sherron would be north of the current intersection and would require taking several homes and businesses, including the Pizza Hut and a large self-storage complex. Both plans are conceptual, Vance said.
NCDOT will accept public feedback on the projects until Nov. 16. For more information about each one, go to www.ncdot.gov/projects/us-70-brier-creek and www.ncdot.gov/projects/us-70-durham-raleigh.