RALEIGH – Significant traffic pattern shifts are upcoming as part of the ongoing project to improve the intersection of Blue Ridge Road and Hillsborough Street.
Starting Monday, work will begin around the Blue Ridge Road and Hillsborough Street intersection to prepare for an upcoming closure at the junction. Drivers should expect day and nighttime lane closures throughout the week as part of this work.
Overnight March 8-9, crews plan to close Hillsborough Street at the intersection to begin construction that will result in Blue Ridge Road passing underneath Hillsborough Street, the railroad tracks and Beryl Road. A new connector road, which is being constructed on the northeast corner of the intersection over the coming week, will open to maintain some access between Hillsborough Street and Blue Ridge Road during this phase of construction.
Hillsborough Street traffic can used either Edwards Mill Road, Wade Avenue and Blue Ridge Road or Western Boulevard and Interstate 440 to access points on either side of the closure. Drivers on the south end of Blue Ridge Road will continue to use Beryl Road to access Hillsborough Street – the same workaround that has been in place since Blue Ridge Road closed at the railroad tracks in October.
The Hillsborough Street closure is expected to last several months. When the road reopens, the work will expand to the south and require closing Blue Ridge Road at Beryl Road and the section down to Pylon Drive. This pattern will be in place through project completion, expected in fall 2024. All work is weather dependent and subject to change.
The project will make this busy intersection safer for all people who use it in their daily commutes or to access special events like the State Fair and games at Carter Finley Stadium and PNC Arena.
Drivers are urged to plan ahead for the detours and be mindful of construction crews working close to the travel lanes in this area.