North Carolina Construction News staff writer
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has awarded a $40-million construction contract to build a bridge over the CSX railway tracks on Rogers Road in Wake Forest, eliminating the existing at-grade crossing.
Blythe Construction Inc. of Charlotte was awarded the contract for the project, which will replace the current railway crossing with a grade-separated overpass at the same location.
The overall project budget is approximately $46.2 million, including an estimated $3.7 million for right-of-way acquisition and $42.5 million for construction and utility work.
The new bridge will have two 12-foot travel lanes in each direction and a 12-foot left-turn lane. Sidewalks will be provided on both sides, including 5.5-foot sidewalks across the bridge. The approaches will include five-foot sidewalks with four-foot buffers separating pedestrians from traffic.
The work also includes rerouting Heritage Branch Road to connect with Capital Creek Drive, approximately a quarter-mile east of the existing intersection.
Other construction activities include roadway widening, grading, drainage improvements, paving, traffic signals, retaining walls and utility relocations. An existing 96-inch culvert beneath Rogers Road will be replaced with a 108-inch culvert.
Two nearby business park entrances will also be relocated. The entrance to Wake Forest Heritage Business Park West will move approximately 300 feet east, while the Heritage Professional Park West entrance will move about 200 feet east.
Traffic is expected to remain on Rogers Road during construction, with a temporary roadway planned to accommodate vehicles as work progresses.
Construction could begin as early as Nov. 30, with the project expected to be substantially complete and open to traffic by fall 2030.
The grade separation is part of broader improvements along the CSX S-Line corridor, which is being prepared for proposed passenger rail service between Raleigh and Richmond, Virginia. Eliminating at-grade crossings is intended to improve safety and reduce conflicts between road traffic and trains.