New NC funds aim to unsnarl roads at Lenovo Center. Here’s how it helps traffic
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- State budget allocates $35M for three road projects near Lenovo Center site.
- Improvements include new connector, boulevard extension and road elevation.
- Funding supports $1.2B development deal tied to arena upgrades and long-term lease.
The planned development around the Lenovo Center will get $35 million for infrastructure improvements from the state after Gov. Josh Stein signed the small budget bill that included the funding on Tuesday.
Carolina Hurricanes CEO Brian Fork said Tuesday that the money would fund three specific projects: A connector road along Wade Avenue, the extension of Wade Park Boulevard to create a new entrance into the development and the elevation of Stephen Stroud Way over Peter Karmanos Drive, the arena perimeter road, to relieve congestion at what is now a four-way intersection at one of the primary access routes.
“We believe $35 million is the right amount for these three projects,” Fork said. “We’re glad to have it funded. It was contemplated in the development agreement but it’s always good to take the next step forward toward construction.”
Construction on the development is still scheduled to begin at the conclusion of N.C. State’s football season with two new parking decks to the southeast of the arena.
In August 2023, Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon and the Centennial Authority, which oversees the arena, reached a historic agreement to allow Dundon to develop the 80 acres around the arena that are currently primarily surface parking lots into a $1.2 billion multiuse development.
As part of that agreement, the Hurricanes extended their lease at the arena through 2044 and Raleigh and Wake County released $300 million in tourism-tax funds to renovate the arena. That work started before the end of the hockey season and is expected to continue through the next two summers.
The budget bill, House Bill 358, passed the Senate 47-0 and the House 103-6 last week.
“The Authority shall disburse the funds allocated to a qualifying entity for costs incurred for public infrastructure improvements on, adjacent to, or supporting a regional entertainment and sports arena owned by the Authority,” the bill reads.
“It’s my understanding that there are some transportation issues that need to be addressed as a result of some of the development that’s been authorized by the Centennial Authority, and that’s what that provision deals with,” Senate leader Phil Berger told The News & Observer last week.
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This story was originally published September 30, 2025 at 2:54 PM.
