Lake Wheeler Road Improvement Project

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.

The extent of the project includes the Lake Wheeler Corridor from Maywood Avenue to South Saunders Street. The corridor is located between Dix Park and the Fuller Heights neighborhood. Improvements will include:

• addition of a center median;

• intersection improvements;

• protected bicycle facility,

• sidewalks; and

• utilities relocation.

Project Details

Type:: Transportation Improvements
Project Lead:: Engineering Services
Contractors:: STV

Contact

Brian Roth-Roffy, PE
Project Manager

Fontaine Burruss,AICP
Transportation Planning

Lead Department:: Engineering Services

Participating Department:: Transportation

Service Unit:: Roadway Design and Construction

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.

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 modification 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 Sounders Street.
82 percent in favor of a right-in right-out only at Daladams Street.
81 percent in favor of the elongated roundabout at Goode & Mercury Streets.
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

Next Steps

We are moving forward on the design plans. The team will be back out to the public late this summer with a more detailed design plan. During this next round of public engagement you will be able to see more detail on the infrastructure we are proposing and give us your input.

Project Update Video

In this video the project manager explains some design elements we are looking at adding to the project.

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.

Schedule

Pre-Design	Early Fall 2021
Advertise for Design Consultant	Late Fall 2021
Award Design Contract	Winter 2022
Design Touchpoint	Mid-Summer 2022
Construction Begins	TBD

Public Engagement

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 Pre-Design Phase

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.