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Route for Wake toll road clears major environmental hurdle

State and federal officials on Friday signed a key environmental impact statement for the completion of N.C. Highway 540 in southern Wake County.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — State and federal officials on Friday signed a key environmental impact statement for the completion of N.C. Highway 540 in southern Wake County.

"We're excited to say that we've reached a critical milestone," said Beau Memory, executive director of the North Carolina Turnpike Authority.

Garner Mayor Ronnie Williams called the signing a "nice Christmas present," noting that the Turnpike Authority and the state Department of Transportation hadn't expected to get the final clearance until next August.

The Turnpike Authority is getting closer to construction of the final leg of the N.C. 540 toll road, also known as the Triangle Expressway, from the N.C. Highway 55 Bypass in Apex to U.S. Highway 264 in Knightdale, Memory said.

"This has come so early that we're still assessing what the impact of this is to our schedule," he said. "It certainly means we are ahead of schedule, and we hope to continue on that pace as we complete the study process."

The latest DOT plans call for construction to begin in 2020 or 2021 on the sections between Apex and U.S. Highway 401 and between U.S. 401 and Interstate 40. The last stretch, between I-40 and U.S. 264, is scheduled to start construction in 2027.

"This is certainly a red-letter day," Fuquay-Varina Mayor John Byrne said. "It will make a huge difference in transportation both in and out of Fuquay-Varina and into the Research Triangle [Park] area and eventually into Interstate 40."

Construction on the southeastern portion of N.C. 540 has been held up for years by environmental concerns, including an endangered mussel that forced state transportation officials to look at various alternative routes.

One alternative, dubbed the "red route" because of its color on DOT maps, would have run through the heart of Garner, prompting an outcry from local residents and state lawmakers. Lawmakers initially barred consideration of the red route, but they relented when DOT officials said it had to be considered to remain eligible for federal funding. State officials eventually bypassed the red route for their preferred alternative.

Engineers say they plan to work with scientists on breeding the mussels, allowing them to thrive in areas near the highway.

Pam Fowler will see some of her front yard bulldozed during construction.

"I'd rather them just move it somewhere else, of course," Fowler said. "I think it is needed. Everybody wants it somewhere else, but it is needed."

The public now has the opportunity to review the environmental impact statement and comment on it. DOT and the Turnpike Authority plan to hold public hearings to gather feedback on design plans.

Final environmental approvals could be a year away, engineers said.

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