Archive for the 'Apex' Category
New NC 540 Connects Apex Homes to RTP
July 16th, 2007 Categories: Apex
For years people living in homes in Apex, North Carolina and working in Research Triangle Park (RTP) were faced with driving two lane roads and waiting at congested traffic lights to get to work every day. As of this past Saturday, that has all changed.
The $102 million, 4.5 mile stretch of the road formally known as I-540 finally opened to commuters. I say formally known as I-540 because although that’s what it started out as, it has been conveniently re-named NC 540 by the North Carolina Turnpike Authority with the hopes of turning the section between NC 54 and NC 55 into a toll road. That’s another story, but feel free to bombard them with letters, phone calls and emails letting them know what a really bad idea that is.
Okay, back to the good news. Folks living in homes in Apex can now access the new road at NC 55 and go non-stop to either NC 54, Davis Drive or I-40. This should take a lot of pressure off of NC 55 and associated two lane roads used to cut across to RTP. And since NC 55 from Apex to Cary was widened to four lanes a few years ago, things should flow much nicer in this western part of Wake County.
The biggest improvement, however, might be at the eastern end of the new road where it connects to I-40. Commuters from homes in North Raleigh and Wake Forest previously had to exit I-540 and merge on to I-40 because it ended there. The bottleneck created by going from 4 lanes to 1 has been the source of frustration for commuters to RTP for years.
With I-540 continuing westward as NC 540 and adding three exits to access RTP, this area of congestion should hopefully go away now. Today will be the real test for the new road and its ability to ease congestion in both areas.
| Discussion: No Comments »
