Wednesday, Feb. 03, 2010

Raleigh to widen Mitchell Mill Road

Plans are moving forward to widen and improve a 1.4-mile section of Mitchell Mill Road near U.S. 401 in northeast Raleigh.

The $18 million improvements, along with a forthcoming widening of U.S. 401 south of Rolesville, are expected to help traffic congestion on the increasingly busy road network, where residential development has increased in recent years.

An estimated 10,000 cars traveled on Mitchell Mill daily in 2005, and the number has likely increased since, said Ken Dunn, a project engineer with the city of Raleigh.

"It's a really high-traffic area," he said. "The improvements should help that."

Raleigh's City Council earlier this month approved a $1.3 million design agreement for the project, which will include turn-lane improvements, a median, a sewer main and sidewalks on both sides of the road from U.S. 401 to just east of Watkins Road.

Design work should take about 22 months, Dunn said, and construction will follow.

The N.C. Department of Transportation, with federal stimulus money, is adding two lanes to U.S. 401 from Mitchell Mill and Ligon Mill roads to Louisbury Road. That project includes a median, traffic signals and a noise wall.

U.S. 401 is the main route for Rolesville residents who commute into Raleigh, and traffic is often backed up at U.S. 401 and Mitchell Mill.

"I'm glad to hear Raleigh is going to spend some money on that," said Rolesville Mayor Frank Eagles. "It's a bad intersection. Traffic is backed up for miles."