Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Raleigh officials cite steep construction inflation, scope changes and a $37 million jump on 6 Forks Road
Summary
City transportation and engineering staff told council national and local inflation have raised construction costs sharply, forcing scope reductions on some projects and further review of others — most notably 6 Forks Road, whose estimate rose from about $56.1 million to $93.5 million; staff plan a detailed May briefing.
City transportation and engineering staff told the Raleigh City Council at a work session that unprecedented construction-market inflation and rising real estate costs have materially increased estimates for several projects funded by prior bonds and that staff are pursuing scope, phasing and funding options to keep projects deliverable.
Kenneth Ritchie, Transportation, framed the update by pointing to national construction-cost indices: “in the last 3 years, we've seen a 67% increase in the construction cost index,” and staff said those market pressures mirror recent large state projects. Engineering Services’ Byron Sanders used a local example, noting the US 1 freeway expansion estimate grew from about $750,000,000 to roughly $1,340,000,000 in recent years.
The city said those broad trends help explain sharper…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
