Complete 540

The region around Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina continues to see unprecedented growth. To support ongoing development and improve mobility in this area, HNTB has partnered with the North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA), a business unit of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), to help deliver Complete 540 Phase 1&2—the largest investment in highway infrastructure in NCDOT history.

28-Mile Transformation

As the NCTA's long-term general engineering consultant and toll operations service provider, HNTB is working alongside the agency to oversee the delivery of this transformational project. Upon completion of the two-phased project, the Triangle Expressway will be extended 28 miles and complete the 540 outer loop around the greater Raleigh area.

The project scope includes:

• 13 interchanges
• Six-lane fully access-controlled facility with 70 mile per hour posted speed
• All-electronic tolling
• Wrong-way vehicle detection technology
• Sound attenuation barrier walls
• Lighting spanning the entire corridor

Several multi-modal pedestrian features are also incorporated in the project, including:

• Shared and separated bike lanes on intersecting roadways
• Pedestrian culverts under Triangle Expressway to accommodate current and future greenways
• Multi-use paths and sidewalks along intersecting roadways

Meeting Mobility Needs

The six-lane expressway meets social and economic mobility considerations of nearby counties and is expected to ease traffic on other local roadways as it supports the growth of the burgeoning Raleigh area.