North Carolina Opens First Tollway Segment

The Triangle Parkway, a 3.5-mile section of the Triangle Expressway, opened Dec. 8 following a ribbon-cutting ceremony — the first modern toll road to open in North Carolina.North Carolina Transportation Secretary Gene Conti and Turnpike Authority Executive Director David Joyner were joined by guests as they delivered brief remarks and cut the ribbon opening the new tollway. Following the ceremony, attendees got into their vehicles and drove north on the six-lane Triangle Parkway, which runs from Interstate 40 in Durham County south to NC 540 in Wake County.

Drivers are being offered free trips to try out the new highway until Jan. 2. Tolls begin Jan. 3 and will be collected only electronically with no traditional cash tollbooths.

The Triangle Expressway’s second phase will open in December 2012, connecting NC 55 near Research Triangle Park to the NC 55 Bypass south of Holly Springs. The toll road will improve commuter mobility, accessibility, and connectivity to western Wake County and Research Triangle Park while reducing congestion on the existing north/south routes, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

It’s the single largest transportation infrastructure project in North Carolina history, with a cost of just over $1 billion.

More information is available at www.ncdot.gov/projects/TriangleExpressway, an NCDOT video news update featuring the Triangle Expressway is available at bit.ly/NCDOTTE, and a News & Observer photo gallery of the expressway’s opening is available at bit.ly/TriExphotos.