Title
NCDOT Project I-5701 - Preferred Alternative
Brandon Jones, NCDOT
Body
The FY 2020-2029 NCDOT Transportation Improvement Program describes Project I-5701 as, "I-440 / US 1 / US 64 to SR 1370 (Lake Wheeler Road) in Raleigh. Add lanes".
During the summer both NCDOT and CAMPO have been in communication with each other concerning the number of lanes that would be applied to the project. NCDOT's Congestion Management division was able to provide the peak hour comparison for the I-5701 alternatives using information from the original analysis provided by an engineering firm. NCDOT's position is that without the auxiliary lanes many of the segments along I-40 will fail. NCDOT believes that the data justifies the need to construct the auxiliary lanes and move forward with the current design.
CAMPO staff has noted that there are very strong feelings by the CAMPO Executive Board concerning going beyond eight lanes on I-40, including an adopted policy/position dating back to 2012. The CAMPO Executive Director has provided the following information to NCDOT below:
"Currently project alternative that appears to be NCDOT's preference does not conform to the adopted MTP. At a minimum, this would require an MTP amendment. Our Executive Board has had discussions over the last several years about freeway capacity, recognizing that more lanes does not equal less freeway congestion. We saw two paths forward, depending on time:
Option 1 - No Change - Based on the adopted policy position dating back to 2012.
Option 2 - Request to Amend 2050 MTP
NCDOT has also noted that project is connected to I-5703; and since these projects are connected, NCDOT can only move forward so much with I-5703 until a decision is made on I-5701 (i.e., public meeting). Finally, the October 2025 Design Build Let date proposed for both I-5701 and I-5703 remains unchanged in the current Draft STIP. NCDOT needs CAMPO's consensus to move forward; and therefore, is willing to give a pres...
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