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Wake Forest asks state to fast‑track Capitol Boulevard improvements; board urges funding or near‑term safety fixes
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Summary
The Wake Forest Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a resolution urging the North Carolina General Assembly and NCDOT to prioritize and fund improvements on US 1/Capitol Boulevard, citing repeated delays, escalating costs and a STIP draft that assumes tolling and shows multi‑decade financing implications.
The Wake Forest Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a resolution asking the North Carolina General Assembly and the Department of Transportation to immediately prioritize and fund improvements to US 1 (Capitol Boulevard) between I‑540 and Purnell Road, citing prolonged delays, rising costs and acute congestion points.
Town staff briefed the board on a May 30 draft of the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) for project U‑5307. "The STIP shows U‑5307 is still gonna cost, over a billion dollars," a town staff member said, and the draft assumes all lanes would be treated as an expressway under a tolling scenario; staff said that if tolling is not permitted by statute the STIP would have to be amended and the project would be shown in phased construction.
Staff summarized the STIP timeline presented in the May 30 draft: right‑of‑way acquisition is projected from fiscal years 2026–2032, utility work from 2028–2031 and construction from 2027–2033. Staff also said the draft shows U‑5307 remaining on the STIP beyond project completion until the financing is repaid, creating potential fiscal implications that extend into the 2030s.
The board’s adopted resolution requests that the General Assembly "immediately prioritize and fully fund" the US 1 improvements through direct appropriation, a statewide bond, or other means and requests a firm commitment to begin construction no later than spring 2027 and complete by spring 2033. The resolution also directs that, if full funding or completion is not secured, NCDOT be directed to design and construct critical safety and congestion improvements at the Branch Mills Road/US 1 intersection with completion by spring 2027.
Commissioners said the resolution is not a vote to toll the corridor but seeks to explore all funding tools to accelerate the project. A commissioner who spoke in favor of the resolution said the aim is to obtain action rather than accept further multi‑year delays that staff and the town have experienced in prior STIP cycles.
Background included in the resolution — and read into the record at the meeting — traces the project’s history in prior STIP cycles (2012, 2016, 2018), cites escalating cost estimates and notes the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization recently passed a resolution authorizing the use of toll funding or other alternative delivery methods. The resolution directs the town clerk to send the adopted resolution to the governor, legislative leaders, local House and Senate members, the secretary of transportation and CAMPO.
The board voted to adopt the resolution unanimously; the board also asked staff to continue coordination with NCDOT and regional partners and to communicate the town’s position to state officials.
