After 50 years of planning, the Pullen Rd. extension in Raleigh will finally begin construction in the next few weeks.
With traffic from the university, Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, Western Blvd., Centennial Pkwy. and Avent Ferry Rd., the area constantly experiences congestion which the upcoming project is expected to ease.
Pullen Rd. will be extended from Western Blvd. to Centennial Pkwy. Construction crews will build a new roundabout to connect the road with Bilyeu St. Other improvements include bike lanes, medians, street trees, streetlights, a six ft. sidewalk on the east side, a 10-ft. multi-use path on the west side, and a 12-in. watermain installation.
The extension will connect with Centennial Pkwy at Oval Dr., opening a new connection between the university’s Centennial Campus and its Main Campus.
The budget allotted for the project is $3 million with the City of Raleigh responsible for half the cost. The project team will be led by Team Roadway Design and Construction. The firm is joined by team members North Carolina State University and the Catholic Diocese of North Carolina. Ramey Kemp will serve as the team consultant.
The construction contract was awarded by the Raleigh City Council to Carolina Sunrock, LLC on Sept. 19. Public meetings began March 17. Project completion is slated for the summer of 2018. Upon completion, improvements will be maintained by the city.
During construction, local traffic operations will continue on the existing Western Blvd., Centennial Pkwy. and Bilyeu St., however, brief periods of one-lane, two-way traffic controlled by flaggers should be expected during non-peak hours.