Barwell Road Improvement Project

The City is widening Barwell Road from Rock Quarry Road to Berkeley Lake Road. (Note: To stay within budget, the City has altered the project limits. The new scope will still include the realignment of Pearl Road and improvements along Barwell Road from Rock Quarry Road to Tomahawk Trail.)

We want Barwell Road to be safe, convenient, and comfortable for all modes of transportation. We call this a Complete Street.

Improvements to the road include:

Designated Two-Way Left Turn Lanes;
Sidewalks;
Multi-Use-Path;
Transit Improvements; and,
Realignment of the Pearl Road Intersection.

Project Details

Type:: Streets
Budget:: $10.8 Million
Project Lead:: Roadway Design & Construction
Contractors:: Transystems (Design Consultant)

Contact

Project Manager
Riska Dees
riska.dees@raleighnc.gov

Division Manager
Sylvester Percival, PE
sylvester.percival@raleighnc.gov

Comment Form

Lead Department:: Engineering Services

Participating Department:: Transportation

Project Update

March 2025

The City’s construction contractor will start work on the Barwell Road 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 Conti Civil, in the amount, not to exceed $14.8 million.

To stay within the construction budget for this project, the City is reducing the scope of the project. The original scope included improvements from Berkeley Lake Road to Rock Quarry Road and the realignment of Pearl Road to the Barwell Road intersection on Rock Quarry Road. The new scope will still include the realignment of Pearl Road and improvements along Barwell Road from Rock Quarry Road to Tomahawk Trail. The reduction in scope is due to the rise in construction costs over the last few years. Conti Civil was the lowest bidder for the project, but their original bid was still 69 percent over the construction budget. The new project scope is based on negotiations with the contractor to bring the contract price within the funds available. The City plans to complete the section of Barwell Road from Tomahawk Trail to Berkeley Lake Road as a future project. The project team will reach out to stake holders regarding the scope reduction along the corridor. Please contact the project manager with any questions at riska.dees@raleighnc.gov.

February 2025

The City held a bid opening on October 2, 2024. However, the lowest bid was higher than our original estimate and exceeded the project budget. As a result, the City is currently exploring options for how to proceed with the project.

January 2025

We advertised the construction project for bids in the fall of 2024, and construction is expected to start in the spring of 2025.

The team is working on submitting plans for construction permits.

Permits needed for this project:

Stormwater
Development Services
North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT)
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NC DEQ)

Once all permits are received, we will hold a pre-construction meeting with residents along the corridor.

Next Steps

Complete all permits needed for the project
Hold Public Pre-Construction Meeting

Schedule

Date	Activity
April 23, 2019	Pre-design Public Meeting
Dec. 19, 2019	Design Public Meeting
Summer 2020	Advanced Design Meeting
Fall 2020	City Council Project Presentation
Winter 2024	Complete Right of Way and Easement Acquisition
Fall 2024	Advertise for Construction Bids
Summer 2025	Start Construction
Summer 2027	Project Completion

Past Public Engagement

Advanced Public Touchpoint - Summer 2020

Based on public feedback from the April 23, public meeting, other public engagement opportunities, and internal discussion and evaluation of both alternatives, we are moving forward with design Alternative 1. This design alternative includes 6-ft sidewalk along the east side of the road and a 10-ft multi-use-path (MUP) on the west side of the roadway.

Barwell Road Advanced Design Presentation

History

The Barwell Road Widening Project is part of the City’s Capital Improvement Program. Barwell Road is almost exclusively residential and includes the Barwell Road Elementary School and Community Center complex. These improvements will help improve pedestrian and bicycle accessibility from the surrounding properties to the school/park complex.

Public Art

The Barwell Road Project will include a public art component. The City selected UrbanRock Design as the artist for this project. To learn more about the project, the artist selected, and give your input visit the Barwell Road Public Art Project page .