Proposed improvements include extending Independence Boulevard near the Covil/Montgomery Avenue corridor 1.7 miles from the vicinity of Randall Parkway to U.S. 74 (Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway).
The N.C. Department of Transportation project team will also consider overpasses, intersection improvements and interchanges at multiple locations along the proposed route.
Additional lanes along Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway might be needed for continuous connection with nearby interchanges at Kerr Avenue and 23rd Street. The project includes two proposed CSX railroad crossings.
Next Steps
Based on updated traffic forecasts, NCDOT will conduct additional traffic operational analyses — referred to as Detailed Study Alternatives — to refined proposed designs. NCDOT will then conduct multiple studies to identify the direct and indirect effects each alternative will have on the human and natural environment.
Studies include but are not limited to:
- Impacts to the community (e.g., socioeconomic and environmental justice)
- Impacts to cultural resources (e.g., historic properties and archaeological resources)
- Impacts to natural resources (e.g., water quality, wetlands, streams)
- Impacts to land use
- Impacts to air quality
- Impacts from traffic noise
The outcome of these studies will be summarized in an environmental document known as the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which will be used to help determine the Preferred Alternative for the project.
When complete, the Detailed Study Alternative designs and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be available for review by the public as well as local, state and federal agencies.
NCDOT will then hold a public hearing that will include a formal presentation to give the public the opportunity to ask questions, give formal statements, and comment on the project.