Ligon Mill Road will close at US 401 in northern Wake. Here’s why and how long.
Ligon Mill Road will be closed at U.S. 401 for most of December while N.C. Department of Transportation contractors shift the road to a new intersection.
The current intersection will close at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3, according to NCDOT. The new one is expected to open by 5 p.m. on Dec. 22, if weather allows contractors to remain on schedule.
During that time, drivers wanting to use Ligon Mill to get to or from southern Wake Forest will be directed on a detour using Forestville and Burlington Mills roads.
Ligon Mill Road now meets U.S. 401 at Mitchell Mill Road just north of the Neuse River. That will change in an effort to improve safety and traffic flow on U.S. 401, which is also Louisburg Road.
NCDOT will realign Ligon Mill to meet U.S. 401 at a new intersection about 1,500 feet north of the existing one. Separating the two roads allows NCDOT to redesign the Mitchell Mill intersection.
Here’s how that will work:
Mitchell Mill traffic will still be able to turn right or left at U.S. 401, while drivers going north on U.S. 401 will be able to turn right onto Mitchell Mill.
But southbound 401 traffic turning left onto Mitchell Mill will cross over northbound traffic at a separate light several hundred feet north of the intersection, then proceed to Mitchell Mill to make the left turn.
This kind of turn is what traffic engineers call a continuous flow or displaced left-turn intersection, which are rare in North Carolina. The result, engineers say, will be smoother flowing traffic on U.S. 401.
The relocation of Ligon Mill Road is a big step, but a lot of work remains. NCDOT doesn’t expect contractors to finish the project until sometime in 2027.
This story was originally published December 2, 2025 at 9:14 AM.
