Capital Boulevard freeway construction won’t start until 2031

The Town of Wake Forest says construction on the first two segments of the Capital Boulevard North Upgrade is scheduled to begin in 2031, and construction on the two northern segments through Wake Forest in 2033. The dates are in a construction update the town published September 17, 2026.

Geotechnical crews are drilling and sampling soil in the southern half of the corridor between Raleigh and Wake Forest, utility and drainage work is starting, and the state is buying property. The town’s update says property acquisition for the first segments is expected to take about five years.

What the project is

Capital Boulevard, which is also US 1, will go from a four-lane, median-divided road to a six-lane controlled-access highway with interchanges, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation’s project page. The limits run from I-540 in Raleigh north to Purnell and Harris roads in Wake Forest. The state tracks it as STIP project U-5307.

The town’s update describes the finished road as a fully controlled-access highway with interchanges and service roads, similar to US 1 in Apex.

The project is split into four segments:

• Segment A runs from I-540 to Durant Road and Perry Creek Road in north Raleigh.
• Segment B runs from Durant and Perry Creek roads to Burlington Mills Road.
• Segment C runs from Burlington Mills Road to NC 98 Business, which is Durham Road.
• Segment D runs from Durham Road to Purnell and Harris roads at the north end of town.

The schedule, segment by segment

According to NCDOT, right-of-way acquisition for Segments A and B began in September 2025, and geotechnical work started in June 2026. Construction on those two segments is scheduled to begin in 2031.

Segments C and D are further behind. The town says design work on them is expected to resume by the end of 2026, property acquisition is scheduled for fall 2027, and construction is scheduled to begin in 2033.

How it is being paid for

The town’s update says the project is fully funded through the State Transportation Improvement Program and that Capital Boulevard will not be a toll road. NCDOT’s page says its evaluation of the corridor as a toll road ended in November 2025.

The Wake Forest Business and Industry Partnership, the town’s economic development arm, reported in July that the state adopted the project in its STIP on July 6, 2026, at a cost of $1.3 billion. The same article said the finished highway would have a 70 mph speed limit between I-540 and the Franklin County line.

The article quoted Kim Deaner, a public information officer for NCDOT’s Division 5: “We’re going to be turning Capital Boulevard into a controlled freeway.” Jason Cannon, the partnership’s president, said: “It’s been a long time coming.”

Traffic and economic projections

The partnership’s article put current traffic at about 65,000 vehicles a day, rising to an estimated 75,000 by 2040.

The article also says six properties along the corridor could add $3.4 billion a year to the Wake Forest economy and support 15,208 jobs once fully developed.