Proposed improvements include extending Independence Boulevard for approximately 1.7 miles from the intersection with Randall Parkway and Mercer Avenue to U.S. 74 (Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway).
The N.C. Department of Transportation project team will also consider overpasses, intersection improvements and interchanges at multiple locations along the proposed route.
Additional lanes along Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway might be needed for continuous connection with nearby interchanges at Kerr Avenue and 23rd Street. The project includes two proposed CSX railroad crossings.
Next Steps
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be used to select the Preferred Alternative for the project. The full report is available on this website along with technical studies that references the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
NCDOT will hold a corridor public hearing on Dec. 1, 2025 that will include a formal presentation to give the public the opportunity to ask questions, give formal statements, and comment on the project.
Following the corridor public hearing, the project team will select the Preferred Alternative for the project. Following the selection of the Preferred Alternative, the Final Environmental Impact Statement will be completed.
The Final Environmental Impact Statement will evaluate the potential impacts of the Preferred Alternative and address comments received on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, at the public hearing, and during the comment period following the corridor public hearing. The public can expect a Final Environmental Impact Statement in 2027, followed by a design public hearing. A Record of Decision is scheduled to be completed later in 2027.