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Raleigh council backs tolling scenario that links Capitol Boulevard to Triangle Expressway
Summary
The City of Raleigh voted to recommend a tolling option for Capitol Boulevard that would add the corridor to the Triangle Expressway financing structure, supporting a Turnpike-based financing scenario over an all-local toll option.
The Raleigh City Council voted to recommend “scenario 2,” a tolling and financing plan that would add the proposed Capitol Boulevard toll facility to the Triangle Expressway system, after a motion carried 7–1. The recommendation is intended to guide the city’s vote on an upcoming Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization executive board resolution.
The action follows a presentation from Kenneth Ritchie of the city Transportation Department, who described four tolling scenarios for the roughly 10-mile corridor from I-540 north toward the Wake/Franklin county line. The options range from an all-lanes tolled expressway to a single tolled express lane in each direction; the Turnpike-backed scenarios provide greater financing leverage and therefore require a smaller state cash contribution, Ritchie said.
Ritchie told council that, under three of the four scenarios, including the Turnpike options, statutory changes would be required because current state law includes an express prohibition on converting a free highway to a toll facility. He also said the Turnpike scenarios could allow the project to be delivered with a smaller direct state appropriation by leveraging turnpike bond capacity.
Council discussion stressed mitigation and equity if tolling moves forward. Council member Patton asked whether the design would allow future median-running bus rapid transit and whether shoulders could accommodate bus-on-shoulder operations; Ritchie said the design does not preclude future median BRT and that shoulders have been designed with bus-on-shoulder options in mind. Multiple council members urged time-of-day pricing, lower or no overnight tolls for shift workers, and use of toll revenues for “betterments” such as wider sidewalks or other multimodal improvements.
A council member moved to recommend scenario 2; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote, 7–1. Councilors who spoke said the project is a North Carolina Department of Transportation initiative and that Raleigh’s role is to weigh in on which of the four tolling strategies Campo should advance.
Staff and Ritchie emphasized the item is intended to inform the CAMPO executive board, which is expected to consider directing the project forward at its May 21 meeting. Any legislative changes required by the Turnpike scenarios would need action at the state level before tolling could be implemented.
