Intense growth has been impacting Fuquay-Varina for decades. With increased development comes congestion and town planners are under pressure to address traffic problems. Now with the construction of the Southeast Extension of Interstate 540 underway, even more traffic is expected to utilize local roads, making roadway improvements a hot topic of local conversation.
The Town of Fuquay-Varina’s Planning Department website says their staff has been “developing plans, which are designed to work together, to help move one of the fast-growing towns in North Carolina forward…Growth is inevitable but planning for it will ensure that Fuquay-Varina maintains the quality-of-life attributes that make it such a desirable place to call ‘home’.”
Fuquay-Varina’s latest Land Use Plan (LUP) was adopted in 2017, as was the 2035 Community Vision Land Use Plan, which helps to shape future growth and development for the town: https://www.fuquay-varina.org/DocumentCenter/View/2484/2035-Community-Vision-Land-Use-Plan-PDF?bidId=. A “Comprehensive Transportation Plan” (CTP) was developed as a companion guide and serves as a framework for decisions related to infrastructure investments, redevelopment, open space protection, and town policy revisions.
For road projects, town planners work with North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), a federally required regional transportation planning organization. NCDOT takes the lead on road design, but with involvement from other governmental and non-governmental agencies, private landowners and citizens, developers, etc.
One goal mentioned in the Town’s CTP is construction of a “complete and integrated grid street network for major roads.” The Town’s vision to build a loop around Fuquay-Varina began in the 1970s (https://www.fuquay-varina.org/1331/Judd-Parkway). On the Town’s Traffic Management webpage, Judd Parkway is mentioned as representing “good long-range planning and good partnerships with state and local agencies and private developers.” This goal has almost been realized, but a few roadway connections have yet to be made.
The CTP addresses a traffic issue that already exists on the north side of town, in the Five Points area where US-401 meets NC-55 and NC-42. Plans are already being developed for a “NC-55 Extension” (NCDOT as Site 5751), to connect Judd Parkway east of Stewart Street with US-401 and to improve the road intersections near Five Points. This could potentially improve traffic flow and encourage large trucks to go around rather than through downtown.
According to NCDOT project design engineer Allison White, this project is not yet funded, and no construction date has been set, but a public meeting will take place soon, possibly before the end of March 2022. A few weeks before the public meeting, NCDOT will send out postcards informing the community about the meeting date. Ms. White said the postcards will go to “everyone in the area, such as property and business owners, with some bandwidth around the red line, or outside of the corridor, of the project area shown on the study map.”
Review the NCDOT study map plan here:
https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/nc-55-extension-varina/Pages/default.aspx
Ms. White mentioned that studies such as traffic noise abatement and environmental impact, and actual construction could take 10 years, more or less. She noted though that planned right-of-way acquisitions could begin as early as 2028 and final design could be finished several years before that. The time for public involvement is now. Comments on the NC-55 Extension are already being gathered online by NCDOT and will continue to be accepted for 30 days after the public meeting takes place: https://www.publicinput.com/NC55-Extension.
The NCDOT community engagement contact, Diane Wilson, recently noted online that this “first community engagement step is critical and will be the engine for determining the road’s path” and will create a “much needed redesign of this essential crossing.” She mentioned that this is the town’s first opportunity for a “statement bridge spanning 401 and the railroad” and expressed a hope that “it can have bicycle use, too.” A second possible flyover bridge at the Judd Parkway interchange was also mentioned—“another Fuquay-Varina first!”
The design plan for the NC-55 Extension is preliminary, but the NCDOT study corridors are laid out on the map, as already mentioned. The corridors are 500 to 1,500 feet wide. Three alternatives are shown for the western Judd Parkway section of this project, while a single solution is planned for the eastern section at Five Points, which is to make upgrades to the three existing roadbeds—US-401, NC-55 and NC-42.
Two of the three alternatives (#1 and #2) shown on the NCDOT map include construction of a new roadbed, the corridor for which might impact some residential areas, private properties such as farms and churches, and open spaces near Terrible Creek. The impacts of each alternative are laid out by NCDOT as follows:
#1 – The most northerly of the three alternatives. Begins at Judd Parkway and travels east to Sunset Lake Road. Continues, passing south of the Jones-Johnson Ballentine Historic District. Turns and crosses the railroad and US-401 near Wilbur Jones Road.
#2 – The central alternative. Begins at Judd Parkway and travels east. Continues, passing on the north of Smith Farms—the residential area that is located on the west side of Sunset Lake Road. Continues, passing on the north side of the Abiding Presence Lutheran Church property. Turns and crosses the railroad and US-401 near Wilbur Jones Road.
#3 – The most southerly alignment. Begins at Judd Parkway and travels east on existing N. Judd Parkway NE. Connects to existing Products Road. East of existing Products Road, turns and crosses the railroad and US-401 near Wilbur Jones Road.
While preliminary, the corridors shown on the NCDOT study map already have some landowners and businesses concerned. Drivers passing by on certain streets in and around town may have noticed signs that have been put up in protest or support of one of the NC-55 Extension proposed alternatives. Community involvement is critical to determine the best pathway—or roadway—forward, with all possible solutions being considered. There are many voices to be heard and lots of possible perspectives and impacts to weigh. Community members are encouraged to stay aware and get involved.
