Capital Boulevard drivers between I-540 and Purnell/Harris will not be paying tolls on their daily grind, but they will be sitting at traffic lights for a long while yet. The state has officially scrapped tolling on the 10-mile upgrade, and transportation officials say the long-promised, signal-free freeway is still years from full construction.
No tolls, NCDOT says, but early work is underway
The N.C. Department of Transportation has ended its formal tolling evaluation, wrapping it up in November 2025, and the Capital Boulevard overhaul is moving ahead as a traditional, non-tolled project. According to the department's project FAQ, design work is progressing, early field work and targeted property purchases started in fall 2025, and some right-of-way steps are already on the calendar.
Tolls were the shortcut, then lawmakers stepped in
Local officials and business groups had pushed tolling as the fastest way to speed up construction, arguing it could move Capital Boulevard up the line. That idea ran into political resistance once CAMPO and other regional players started talking about it in public. The toll push helped spark debate at the General Assembly, where a House budget amendment from Rep. Mike Schietzelt would prohibit using tolling to finance U.S. 1, according to reporting by Axios Raleigh.
The schedule: long design phases, right-of-way and a 2031 target
State planners are breaking the corridor into segments for design, and they say full right-of-way acquisition is still several years away. Official schedules point to right-of-way work starting around 2028 and construction tentatively penciled in for a 2031 kickoff. Once shovels finally hit the ground, the project will not be a quick one. Earlier planning documents and regional coverage have pointed to roughly a six-year construction window under typical delivery timelines.
What the upgrade will do to the road
The planned rebuild would turn the current four-lane, signalized stretch into a controlled-access, six-lane expressway with new interchanges and parallel service roads to keep local access intact. Longstanding design outlines call for interchanges at Durant/Perry Creek, Burlington Mills, Falls of Neuse/South Main and Purnell/Harris, along with a posted freeway speed in the mid-60s, a setup described in project reporting and engineering writeups on the corridor.
Local impacts: properties, utilities and the price tag
Planners expect the project to require buying multiple properties along Capital Boulevard. Reporting from The News & Observer says the rebuild would take about 17 parcels, including commercial properties and at least one church, and cites a draft construction cost in the roughly $1.3 to $1.4 billion range. Utility relocations and other early prep work are slated to begin well before full construction, which is part of why NCDOT and local governments have been doing advance outreach to affected owners.
Why the timing matters
Wake Forest and northern Wake County have been growing fast, and town planning estimates put Wake Forest's population north of 60,000 as of a January 2026 estimate. Officials say congestion pressures on Capital Boulevard make the upgrade a priority, even if funding and permitting are stretching out the schedule. Local business groups and transportation advocates have pressed for ways to deliver the project sooner, but without a shift to toll financing or new state or federal money, it is set to move on a slower, staged path.
For now, drivers should expect to see scattered design activity, targeted property outreach and utility work over the next several years, followed by longer stretches of construction once contracts are awarded. Officials say they will continue to post updates on the project website and share details at local public meetings as the timeline firms up.
