Raleigh – Work is expected to begin as
early as the first week in April on a $21.5-million project to improve the
Aviation Parkway exit on Interstate 40, including a replacement of the parkway
bridge over the interstate. The contract awarded to Flatiron Constructors of
Morrisville by the N.C. Department of Transportation also calls for the addition
of a loop-style exit ramp in the northwest corner of the interchange that will
change the way westbound I-40 drivers access southbound Aviation Parkway.
The current diamond-style interchange was part of the original I-40
construction in 1969. It requires all drivers who want to access Aviation
Parkway in either direction to use the same exit ramp, with drivers going south
on the parkway having to stop at a traffic light to make a left-turn, and
northbound drivers heading toward RDU Airport using a free-flow lane onto
Aviation Parkway.
Since that interchange was built, the growth of RDU Airport and
other commercial developments north and south of I-40 have resulted in increased
traffic congestion that can exceed vehicle capacity the original interchange was
built to handle. During commute times, this causes congestion and delays. The
volume of traffic on Aviation Parkway is currently about 28,000 vehicles a day,
which is expected to grow to nearly 38,000 per day in the next 20 years.
The new setup will have westbound drivers go under the Aviation
Parkway bridge and immediately exit to the right onto the loop being built. It
will have a traffic light at the end of the loop ramp, but will allow two lanes
of traffic to make a right turn only onto the southbound lanes. Drivers heading
north on Aviation Parkway will exit the same way they have been since the road
was built.
The new ramp and bridge are expected to be open in September 2020,
with additional vegetation work going until March 2021.
This is one of 13 road and bridge contracts recently by the NCDOT.
The contracts went to the lowest qualified bidder for each project, as required
by law. They are worth $65.1 million.