Public meeting will be Thursday, Nov. 15
ANGIER – The N.C. Department of Transportation is soliciting public feedback on a proposal to widen 11 miles of NC Highway 55 in Harnett and Wake counties and build a bypass around downtown Angier.
The proposal calls for widening the two-lane highway into four lanes with a raised median.
The open house will be 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 15, at Angier Baptist Church, 155 S. Hickory St. At the informal meeting, departmental representatives will display preliminary design maps, field questions and accept comments about the proposal.
The project rose through the State Transportation Improvement Program based on a need for easing congestion and improving safety. Land acquisition for the project’s portion between Oak Grove Church Road in Harnett County and Jicarilla Lane in Wake County is estimated to begin in 2020, followed by the start of construction two years later. The section of the project between Jicarilla Lane and N.C. 42 is currently unfunded.
The proposed route would begin near Oak Grove Church Road and follow the existing highway north to approximately Ennis Road. From there, the highway would go onto a new location just west of downtown Angier. It would rejoin N.C. 55 near the Wake/Harnett County line.
NC DOT selected the route after reviewing more than 200 comments from last year’s open house, as well as analyzing the projected traffic volumes and reviewing both environmental and human impacts on the alternatives. By building a bypass, the project would avoid impacting businesses through downtown Angier.
