After more than half a century in largely untouched space, the State Bureau of Investigation has started a top‑to‑bottom overhaul of its Raleigh headquarters campus. On Tuesday morning, crews officially broke ground on a new headquarters at the SBI’s longtime Garner Road site, kicking off what the agency describes as a four‑phase rebuild of a property that has not seen a major update in more than 50 years. The plan calls for a new headquarters building, a separate logistics building, upgraded support facilities, renovations to existing structures and expanded parking, with the goal of pulling staff from multiple scattered locations onto one modern campus.
Groundbreaking Ceremony And Official Statements
Shovels went into the dirt at 10 a.m. at the Garner Road campus, where SBI Director Roger “Chip” Hawley framed the project as both overdue and forward‑looking. He called the effort “a significant investment in the future of the SBI and public safety of North Carolina,” as reported by WRAL. Officials also told the station the campus plan includes a dedicated maintenance facility and additional parking to support the expanded operation.
What The Campus Will Include
According to the state’s public bid notice, the project centers on a roughly 73,000‑square‑foot, multi‑level headquarters building, paired with a 14,000‑square‑foot logistics building and about 17,000 square feet of renovation work for Building 12, along with related sitework and parking, per the iPublish/MCClatchy bid posting. The notice also specifies that construction will be phased so that SBI operations can stay active while building and renovation work continue. The Garner Road campus has housed the SBI since 1976, and the agency notes this is the first major transformation of the property in decades, according to the N.C. SBI history page.
Timeline And Cost
The Office of State Budget and Management lists the SBI headquarters and Building 12 renovation as project DPS21‑9, with a budget of $81,632,759 and major construction scheduled through June 24, 2027, in its capital‑projects report. SBI officials told WRAL they expect overall construction to wrap in late 2027, with personnel beginning to move into the new facilities in early 2028.
Why It Matters Locally
State leaders are pitching the buildout as a long‑term investment in public‑safety infrastructure that should help streamline investigations and evidence handling across North Carolina. The overhaul also arrives as statewide law‑enforcement agencies warn lawmakers about hiring and retention strains. SBI leadership has told a legislative committee that vacancies and lagging pay are making it harder to fill critical roles, according to WUNC.
What’s Next
Design firm LS3P has been tapped to lead the design work, and HITT Contracting has been involved in procurement and the bid process, as reflected in state building‑commission materials and bid notices. Officials say residents can expect additional public updates as construction advances, including contract awards and details on the phased schedule. For now, the groundbreaking marks only the first step in a multi‑year effort to turn the aging Garner Road complex into a fully modern SBI campus.
