North Raleigh road to close for nearly a year while NCDOT replaces two bridges
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- NCDOT will close Forestville Road starting in winter 2031 to replace two creek bridges.
- Both new bridges will be 20 feet wider to include an eight‑foot shoulder and 12‑foot path.
- During 11‑month project through traffic will use a 5.6‑mile detour via I‑540 and U.S. 401.
A stretch of Forestville Road in North Raleigh will close for nearly a year while the N.C. Department of Transportation replaces bridges over two creeks.
The work isn’t scheduled to begin for another five years. But NCDOT is holding a meeting Tuesday, April 21, to share its plans with the public and gather feedback.
Residents can drop in any time between 4 and 7 p.m. at Wake Cross Roads Baptist Church, 3328 Forestville Road.
NCDOT plans to replace bridges over Harris Creek and Hodges Mill Creek, between Buffaloe and Mitchell Mill roads. Both bridges were built in the late 1970s and are becoming difficult to maintain.
The new bridges will be larger than the existing ones. Both will be about 20 feet wider to allow room for an 8-foot shoulder on one side and a 12-foot multi-use path on the other. The path will be separated from traffic by a concrete barrier.
The path will extend only a short distance from either end of both bridges. In the case of the Harris Creek bridge, it will connect Creekside Drive on one end with the N.C. Buddhist Association pagoda on the other.
The city has no plans to build such a path along Forestville now, though sections may be built as new subdivisions go in. City officials say because the NCDOT bridges will last for decades, it makes sense that they include room for the multi-use path that could someday extend the length of Forestville Road.
Both new bridges also will be longer than the existing ones — nearly twice as long in the case of the one over Hodges Mill Creek. The longer spans will provide more room for water to flow underneath, reducing the chances that the bridges will act as partial dams after flooding rains.
NCDOT expects to spend $12.5 million replacing both bridges. The work is scheduled to begin in the winter of 2031 and take about 11 months.
During that time, through traffic will be sent on a 5.6-mile detour that involves Interstate 540 and U.S. 401.
For more information about the project and how to provide feedback, go to publicinput.com/forestvillerd-bridges.
