Raleigh wants to put Lake Boone Trail on a ‘road diet’ to improve safety, traffic flow
City of Raleigh engineers say they can improve safety and the flow of traffic on a stretch of Lake Boone Trail near the Beltline by reducing the number of lanes.
Lake Boone would go from four travel lanes to two between the Beltline/Interstate 440 and Ridge Road. There would be a third lane in the middle for left turns between Ridge and Stillwater Drive, preventing cars from coming to a stop in one of the travel lanes as they occasionally do now.
The so-called “road diet” is part of a planned $1.6 million overhaul of Lake Boone that will also include a new crosswalk and bike lanes and a new traffic pattern at the ramps on and off eastbound Interstate 440.
The city will present the plan and answer questions during a virtual meeting Wednesday starting at 6 p.m.
The plan calls for Lake Boone to remain four lanes under the Beltline, then drop to two travel lanes as it heads up the hill to Ridge Road. One of the eastbound lanes would become a turn lane into the highway.
A new median and crosswalk would make it easier for cyclists and pedestrians to cross just east of the highway exit and entrance ramps. The bike lanes along Lake Boone would begin and end near the crosswalk, making it easier for cyclists to get to and from the House Creek Greenway Trail.
GoRaleigh bus stops would be moved closer to the crosswalk as well and away from their current locations near the Beltline. This section of Lake Boone also would be repaved.
Raleigh received a $1 million federal grant toward construction; the city will put up the rest.
City staff expect to present the project to the City Council this spring and begin construction next winter. Construction is expected to take six months.
For more information, including a link to register for Wednesday’s virtual meeting, go to raleighnc.gov/projects/lake-boone-trail-safety-improvements.
