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03/25/2025 3:02 pm

This is the a rendering of the proposed peanut roundabout at Mercury and Good Streets. 

Lake Wheeler Road Improvement Project

Improving mobility and connectivity for pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular traffic

Updated: Mar 25, 2025

Changes are coming to Lake Wheeler Road.

The City is proposing improvements to Lake Wheeler Road from South Saunders Street to Maywood Avenue. (Note: To stay within budget and expedite the project, the City has altered the project limits. The project will start east of Maywood Avenue between the railroad and Goode Street and end at South Saunders Street.)

We plan to convert the current two-lane road with no pedestrian or bike facilities into a Complete Street, accommodating all modes of transportation and allowing bicyclists, pedestrians, transit users, vehicles, and emergency vehicles to navigate the street safely. We call this a Complete Street.

Improvements we are proposing include:

  • Roundabouts - will help slow traffic and allow a smooth traffic flow along the roadway.  
  • Sidewalks, shared paths, and bike-only facilities - will allow better connectivity for all modes of transportation.
  • Raised intersections along side streets - creating a safer experience for pedestrians at intersections.
  • Transit improvements - to accommodate connectivity to the area.
  • A raised median - will help slow traffic and reduce unsafe left-hand turn movements.
  • Stormwater facilities - to help mitigate runoff.

View the design plans to see all the improvements we are proposing.

Project Details

 
Type:
Streets
Project Lead:
Engineering Services
Contractors:
STV

Contact

 

Project Manager
Riska Dees
riska.dees@raleighnc.gov

Division Manager
Sylvester Percival
Sylvester.Percival@raleighnc.gov

Comment Form 

 

Lead Department:
Engineering Services
Participating Department:
Transportation

Subscribe

 

Planning

The project will be divided into two parts: the pre-design and the full design. This pre-design effort is focused mostly on the types of intersections treatments that will be installed with the project. These treatments will be combined with the work already done on the cross sections through the streetscape recommendations of the Dix Edge study.

The full design stage will focus on developing a detailed design scope and proceed with the preparation of construction documents.

We have entered the design phase of the project. 

Lead Department:
Transportation

Design

The team is working on finalizing the design plans for the project.

Lead Department:
Engineering Services

Right of Way Acquisition

Robert Mathes is the City’s Real Estate Analysts assigned to acquire property rights needed for the Lake Wheeler Road Improvement Project. He will reach out to each affected property owner along the corridor to work through the easement acquisition process. 

The Right of Way Acquisition process includes: 

  • Staking of the easements on the property;
  • Site visits with the project team and affected property owner if needed; and, 
  • An offer of compensation for the easements needed from the property.

Have Questions?

For questions about the real estate process or flags in your yard, contact Real Estate Analyst, Robert Mathes. 

For Questions about the project design, contact Raleigh's Engineering Services

Lead Department:
Engineering Services

Construction

Project Update

March 2025

The City’s construction contractor will start work on the Lake Wheeler Improvement Project this summer. Currently, private utility companies are relocating their lines along the project limits. 

On March 18, 2025, the Raleigh City Council awarded the construction contract to Rifenburg North Carolina, LLC., not to exceed $21.8 million.

To stay within budget and expedite the project, the City has altered the project limits. The project will start east of Maywood Avenue between the railroad and Goode Street and end at South Saunders Street. The City will add the section from the Railroad to Maywood Avenue to another project. 

 

Next Steps

 
  • Hold a pre-construction meeting 
  • Start construction
Lead Department:
Engineering Services

Schedule

DateActivity
Early Fall 2021Pre-Design
Late Fall 2021Advertise for Design Consultant
Winter 2022Award Design Contract
Fall 2022Design Touchpoint
Winter 2024Start Right of Way and Easement Acquisition
Fall 2024Complete Right of Way and Easement Acquisition
Fall 2024Advertise for Construction Bids
Winter 2025Readvertise for construction bids
Summer 2025Start Construction

Design Renderings

Typical Cross Section rendering of Lake Wheeler Road Proposed improvements

This is a proposed typical cross sections for Lake Wheeler Road 

A typical cross section of proposed improvements for Lake Wheeler Road

This is a proposed typical cross sections for Lake Wheeler Road

This is a proposed typical cross section for Lake Wheeler Road

This is a proposed typical cross section for Lake Wheeler Road  

This is the a rendering of the proposed peanut roundabout at Mercury and Good Streets. 

This is the a rendering of the proposed peanut roundabout at Mercury and Good Streets. 

This image shows the proposed rendering for the Lake Wheeler and South Saunders intersection 

This image shows the first proposed rendering for the Lake Wheeler and South Saunders intersection. With this option there is both a bike lane and a sidewalk.  

This image shows the proposed rendering for the Lake Wheeler and South Saunders intersection with the side-path only option 

This image shows the proposed rendering for the Lake Wheeler and South Saunders intersection with the side-path only option 

This image shows the proposed rendering for the Lake Wheeler and Fuller Street. 

This image shows the proposed rendering for the Lake Wheeler and Hammell Street. 

This image shows the proposed rendering for the Lake Wheeler and Daladams Street. 

This image shows the proposed rendering for the Lake Wheeler and Daladams Street. 

Prior Public Outreach and Engagement

Design Public Virtual Open House

We had a Virtual Open House Nov. 9-23 and an in-person meeting on Nov. 17.

Materials from the Nov. 9-23 Open House

Early Design Project Update 

Based on feedback from the Pre-Design Touchpoint, private utility coordination, and Dix Park, the design consultant, STV Engineering, recommends some additional design considerations to the original concepts.

The additional considerations include:

  • A roundabout at the South Saunders Street and Lake Wheeler Road intersection;
  • Making Umstead Drive right-in and right-out only; and,
  • An elongated roundabout that spans both Mercury Street and Goode Street.

We posted a public survey that ran between May 10 and June 1, asking how the public felt about the design modifications we are looking at. 152 people took the survey and we received 103 comments. 

Results from public survey on the new element proposals

  • 81 percent in favor of a roundabout at South Saunders Street. 
  • 82 percent in favor of a right-in right-out only at Umstead Street.
  • 81 percent in favor of the elongated roundabout that spans both Mercury Street and Goode Street.
  • 90 percent of people think that the proposed design concepts will make the corridor safer for all modes of transportation. 

Comment Summary: 
General sentiment towards the the new design elements was positive. The most common concern is the lack of detail on safety features and pedestrian and bike infrastructure.

View Survey Results 

Pre-Design Public Virtual Open House 

Public engagement is a crucial component of any roadway project. During a project's life cycle, we reach out to the public to get feedback on design concepts and early design plans. In addition, we talk with key stakeholders and property owners along the corridor to understand their needs and how the project may affect them. 

We are in the early design phase of the Lake Wheeler Improvement Project. At this point, we have held a Pre-Design Public Meeting where we shared basic design concepts we are looking at for along the Lake Wheeler Road and Dix Park corridor. 

See results from the Pre-Design Public Survey.

View videos from the different phases of the design process 

Lake Wheeler Design Video

Lake Wheeler Improvement Project Update Video

Our design team is working on design plans for the Lake Wheeler Improvement Project. The team has developed a few new features since the October 2021 Pre-Design Meeting that we would like to get the public’s feedback on. This video explains the new features.

Lake Wheeler Road Improvements Project

The City of Raleigh is planning to improve Lake Wheeler Road between South Saunders Street and Maywood Avenue. This video details some of the design concepts that we are considering for the corridor.

Lake Wheeler Road Improvements Project Update

The City of Raleigh is planning to improve Lake Wheeler Road between South Saunders Street and Maywood Avenue.

This video is an update to the intersection treatments being considered for the Lake Wheeler Road Improvement Project as part of the pre-design phase.

Lake Wheeler Road Improvements Project Live Q&A

The Lake Wheeler Road Improvement Project Live Q&A held on Thursday, Nov. 4.

Lake Wheeler Design Video

Lake Wheeler Improvement Project Update Video

Lake Wheeler Road Improvements Project

Lake Wheeler Road Improvements Project Update

Lake Wheeler Road Improvements Project Live Q&A

RESOURCES

 

Lake Wheeler Road Improvement Project Survey

Engineering Services

Transportation Planning

Dix Edge Study

Project History

This project was planned through the recent Dix Edge Study, which identified a custom streetscape along this section of Lake Wheeler from South Saunders Street to Maywood Avenue. The proposed streetscape is consistent with the comprehensive plan, which calls for turning Lake Wheeler into two-lane road with a center median and the addition of a separated bike facility.

Currently, Lake Wheeler is a two-lane street without turn lanes, sidewalks, or bike facilities.  This type of configuration tends to have more crashes because of conflicts with turning vehicles. When drivers must wait to turn left onto a side street or the interstate, they block the travel lane which can lead to rear-end crashes. The lack of both sidewalks and bike facilities makes the corridor challenging to access for people walking or biking.

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