Planning has been underway for years to improve traffic on I-40 from I-440 (Exit 301) in Raleigh to N.C. 42 (Exit 312) in Clayton.
The N.C. Department of Transportation began seeking input from the public in 2009 and, as design efforts began, held a regulatory coordination meeting with several state and federal agencies in 2011 to consider the purpose and need for the project and to designate design options.
Follow-up meetings have been held with regulatory agencies, the City of Raleigh and the Town of Garner to determine design constraints and coordinate overlapping plans.
In June 2014 and October 2017, NCDOT held public meetings and sought public feedback on the design options under consideration for widening I-40 and improving the I-40/N.C. 42 interchange.
The project was awarded to the ST Wooten Corporation in summer 2018 for $360 million.