Western Wake Parkway
Description
The proposed Western Wake Parkway identified in the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Transportation Improvement Program as Project No. R-2635, will provide a new six-lane, controlled access parkway in western Wake County, west of NC 55. The Western Wake Parkway will traverse the extraterritorial jurisdictions of Apex and Cary, as well as the Apex municipal limits. The Western Wake Parkway is an important link in the Raleigh Outer Loop (I-540) and will tie to the Northern Wake Parkway at NC 55 near Alston Avenue (SR 1630), north of Cary, and to the Southern Wake Parkway (TIP Nos. R-2721 and R-2828) at the proposed Holly Springs Bypass south of Apex. As part of the 70-mile Outer Loop, it will serve local traffic between western Wake County and north Raleigh. It will also serve long-distance travelers from Cumberland, Harnett, and Lee Counties bound for Durham, western Wake and Granville Counties.
The study area has a limited number of north-south arterials to serve commuters traveling to the Research Triangle Park, the Raleigh-Durham International Airport, and I-40. Many of these roadways have reached or exceed their practical capacity and are very congested during peak hours. The existing transportation system cannot accommodate the study area's forecasted increase in traffic volumes. Capacity analyses show that the programmed roadway improvements for arterials such as NC 55 and Davis Drive are not adequate to serve the projected traffic volumes for the area. The Western Wake Parkway will provide a multi-lane, high speed facility to serve the increasing transportation demand and relieve other roads in the area.
Page updated 5/4/2007
