Timeline: When will construction of I-440 in Raleigh be complete?

NEWS COVERAGE YOU CAN COUNT ON.

>> WELL, THERE'S NO GETTING

AROUND IT. THOSE CONSTRUCTION

BARRELS AND CLOSE LANES ALONG

I-440, FROM CARY TO RALEIGH.

THEY HAVE BEEN A LOGISTICAL

NIGHTMARE FOR DRIVERS FOR YEARS

AND NAVIGATING ONGOING

CONSTRUCTION. SHIFTING EXITS

AND THE TRIANGLE'S FIRST

DIVERGING DIAMOND INTERCHANGE

OF IN FRUSTRATING FOR MANY

COMMUTERS DRIVING IN THIS AREA.

>> WRAL'S AARON THOMAS LOOKS

INTO WHAT PROLONG DELAYS MEAN

FOR DRIVERS AND TAXPAYERS.

>> TRAVEL BY AIR MAY BE A

PREFERRED FORM OF

TRANSPORTATION.

FOR DRIVERS WHO HAD ANOTHER

YEARS. ALL CONSTRUCTION ON.

I-440, IN RALEIGH.

>> AND THE TRAFFIC PATTERN, IT.

>> THAT CAN BE CONFUSING TO

NAVIGATE A BIG FAN OF IT.

JUST BECAUSE

>> ESPECIALLY THAT INTERSECTION

RIGHT?

>> I WORRY THE JAZZ IS TALKING

ABOUT THE TRIANGLE'S FIRST

DIVERGING DIAMOND INTERCHANGE.

CREWS OPENED THE REDESIGNED

INTERCHANGE IN

2021. WHAT THE NC STATE STUDENT

AND OTHER COMMUTERS WONDER WHY

DOZENS OF ORANGE BARRELS REMAIN

IN PLACE THERE. AND I SORT SURE

THAT I'M TRYING TO MERGE IS

SOMEONE ELSE'S KNOWLEDGE.

HIM EMERGED THE INTERCHANGE IN

ONGOING CONSTRUCTION MAY BE

AN INCONVENIENCE FOR SOME

DRIVERS.

>> BUT TRAFFIC ENGINEER SAY

IT'S AN IMPROVEMENT. WHY CHANGE

THAT INTERCHANGE IN THE FIRST

PLACE? THAT ONE HAD SOME

INTERESTING RIGHT AWAY

CONSTRAINTS AND HAD SOME SOME

INTERESTING MERGING BEHAVIOR

THAT WAS HAPPENING ON AND OFF

THE FREEWAY THAT THEY WANTED TO

ADDRESS, PROBABLY FOR SAFETY

REASONS. CHRISTOPHER COMING

HIM LEADS NC STATE'S INSTITUTE

FOR TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH

AND EDUCATION.

>> HE WASN'T INVOLVED IN THIS

PARTICULAR DESIGN. BUT DOES

RESEARCH ALONGSIDE NC DOT.

HE SAYS DIVERGING DIAMOND

INTERCHANGES ARE BECOMING MORE

COMMON AND BRING SOME MAJOR

ADVANTAGES. SO YOU GET I THANK

FOR YOUR BOOK. YOU INCREASE

SAFETY AND YOU DEFINITELY

INCREASED OPERATIONS. THE

PROJECT TO WIDEN FOR 40 STARTED

AND FALL OF 2019 TIME IS MONEY.

NOVEMBER OF 2021, THE STATE

5 CONTRACTOR LANE CONSTRUCTION,

$280,000 FOR A 28 HOUR DELAY

OPENING THE WESTERN BOULEVARD

DIVERGING DIAMOND INTERCHANGE

BACK THEN DOT ENGINEERS BOUGHT

THE WIDENING PROJECT WOULD BE

DONE BY SUMMER OF 2023. THAT'S

NOW PUSHED BACK TO THE END OF

2025.

SO WHEN WILL THESE ORANGE

BARRELS BE GONE FOR GOOD?

>> THE PROJECT.

HAS BEEN DELAYED AT TIMES AND

ONE OF THE BIGGEST REASONS IS

WHETHER NC DOT SPOKESPERSON KIM

GAINER SAYS THE AGENCY WON'T

HAVE FINALIZED NUMBERS UNTIL

THE PROJECT IS COMPLETED.

>> AT LAST CHECK, THE STATE

ESTIMATED THAT IT WILL COST

475 MILLION DOLLARS. WE HAD

COVID HIT DURING THIS TIME.

WE'VE HAD.

>> AND THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING

GO WAY UP. FOLKS ARE JUST A

LOVE FOR 41 0ND. USE ALL THOSE

LINES AND THE BARRELS.

>> FOR NOW, THE ORANGE BARRELS

ARE REMINDER TO STAY PATIENT.

THEY ARE VIGILANT TO BE ON

ALERT JOB FOR THE PEOPLE AS

CONSTRUCTION CREWS IS TO ITS

CONCLUSION.

>> HOPEFULLY AT THE END OF THE

YEAR, AARON THOMAS, WRAL NEWS,

RALEIGH.

>> CAN'T WAIT FOR THAT TO BE

DONE. THE DOT TELLS WRAL

INFLATION MAY IMPACT THE END

COST OF THE PROJECT. THEY

EXPECT TO HAVE THAT TOTAL.

BY THE TIME THAT DI DIVERGING

DIAMOND INTERCHANGES COMPLETED