NCDOT’s Poole Road proposal would give drivers, pedestrians and cyclists separate ways to cross the Neuse River while extending the road’s four-lane section east to Hodge Road. The widening would run from Raleigh’s city limits to the Triangle Expressway, according to The Raleigh News & Observer.
The plan, reported by the Raleigh News & Observer, calls for two new bridges alongside the current one, which was built in 1959 and spans 352 feet across the river. Under the proposal, that existing span would get minor improvements and continue carrying two westbound lanes, while a new second bridge built south of it would carry two eastbound lanes and include a five-foot sidewalk, according to the News & Observer's reporting.
A Separate Crossing for the Greenway
A third bridge, positioned north of the current crossing, would carry a 12-foot-wide multi-use path across the Neuse River, the paper reports. That path could eventually connect with a future greenway trail planned for the east side of the river, according to the same report. NCDOT's design also aims to keep both new bridges clear of the Poole Road canoe and kayak launch and the Neuse River Greenway Trail, which currently passes underneath Poole Road.
On the road, the proposal includes a 17-foot median and dedicated left-turn lanes at Riverview Road and the Poole Road Park entrance, according to the News & Observer. Raleigh has already widened about a mile of Poole Road to four lanes, ending at Barwell Road; the proposed work would continue from there.
Project Cost, Traffic and Timing
The stretch of Poole Road between Barwell and Hodge roads currently carries about 12,000 cars and trucks a day, per NCDOT data cited in the News & Observer's reporting. The full widening project — covering right-of-way acquisition, utility relocations and construction — is estimated to cost about $43 million, the paper reports. Construction on the segment between Hodge and Barwell roads is expected to begin in late spring 2029.
The timing lines up with other major road work already reshaping this corner of Wake County. An interchange with the Triangle Expressway, also known as N.C. 540, is currently under construction nearby, and the last leg of that expressway in southeastern Wake County is expected to open in late 2028, according to the News & Observer.
What the population figures show
A GoTriangle community-engagement strategy, citing a July 2021 U.S. Census Bureau update, said Wake County’s population was estimated at more than 1.15 million, up from just over 900,000 in 2010. That countywide comparison does not show how Raleigh or Knightdale changed since 2020 or provide a separate estimate for eastern Wake.
How Residents Can Weigh In
NCDOT plans to present its Poole Road plans directly to the public at a meeting scheduled for Monday, Sept. 28, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Barwell Road Community Center on Barwell Park Drive in Raleigh. The format is a drop-in session, meaning residents can come and go as they please to view maps and diagrams, ask questions, and give feedback on the proposal, per the News & Observer's report. Those details, along with additional maps and instructions, are also posted at publicinput.com/poole-barwell-hodge.
The article was reported by Richard Stradling, who covers transportation for the News & Observer.
