Raleigh-Durham Roadbuilders, a joint venture of Archer Western Contractors of Atlanta and Granite Construction Co. of Watsonville, Calif., recently received the Notice to Proceed by the North Carolina Turnpike Authority for its $446-million Western Wake Freeway contract, a section of the $1-billion Triangle Expressway. The lead designer on the project is The LPA Group of Raleigh, N.C.
Financing for the project will be provided by a combination of toll revenue bonds, state appropriation bonds and a federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan.
Scope of the the 12.6-mi Western Wake Freeway project includes the construction of 34 bridges, noise and retaining walls, and improvements to various streets along the project route.
Construction begins this fall, with the project expected to be open to traffic by the end of 2012, and fully completed in 2013.
Western Wake Freeway connects with Northern Wake Expressway and will extend from a northern junction with NC 55 near Research Triangle Park to a southern junction with NC 55 Bypass near Holly Springs, covering a distance of 12.6 miles.
Also included as part of the 18.8-mi Triangle Expressway is the Triangle Parkway. This portion will extend from NC 147 at Interstate 40 south for approximately 3.4 miles, terminating at the interchange with the Outer Wake Expressway.
The Northern Wake Expressway (NC 540) is the portion of the Outer Wake Expressway that extends from NC 54 to NC 55. This 2.8-mi-long segment, which recently opened to traffic and was constructed by the North Carolina Dept. of Transportation, is being transferred to NCTA in support of the TriEx project. This section will enable Triangle Parkway and Western Wake Freeway to function as a contiguous toll facility.
