Raleigh residents fight back against plan to widen Falls of Neuse Road

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is proposing to widen the road to three lanes in both directions with a median to improve traffic flow. They say the $7.7 million project would make the roadway safer.

Ben Upshaw with the DOT said he has seen 446 crashes, resulting in more than 100 injuries, on the road in the past five years.

Two alternative plans are also being considered- one that would widen Falls of Neuse Road only on the eastbound side and another that would only widen the westbound side.

"The real problem seems to be that they're adding more lanes to add more congestion to 540 and anyone who travels that any time in the morning going to work knows that road does not move in the morning," said resident Lillian Overton.

Many residents believe the congestion on I-540 and N.C. Highway 98 should be addressed first because they believe congestion on those roads is the cause of the problems on Falls of Neuse Road.

"Most of the traffic that is coming in now on Falls of Neuse is all the expansion in Wake Forest, Wakefield and all of them come in on Falls of Neuse to get to 540," another woman said.

Upshaw said there are extensive studies to back up the decision to prioritize the expansion of Falls of Neuse Road. He says the area currently sees 33,000 to 47,000 cars per day and that number could increase to 60,000 by 2040.

Still, Upshaw said the concerns of residents will be taken into consideration.

"It takes a lot of thought and that's why it's a several year process for DOT and the other agencies involved. We don't take these things lightly. They are plans and projects that are created over several years," he said.

Many resident comments on the online petition express concerns about how the project will impact property values and the overall “neighborhood friendliness.” One commenter said they’re afraid the area would become similar to the busy Capital Boulevard.

DOT officials said they will accept public comments through Sept. 29 and expect to make a decision on how to move forward by the end of October. Construction is expected to begin in 2019.