Falls of Neuse Road is a major roadway running through North Raleigh. Named for a series of rapids located downstream of the Falls Lake Dam near where the road crosses the Neuse River, it is generally used as a connector between the city of Raleigh and the town of Wake Forest.
Route Description
Falls of Neuse Road begins at the intersection of Wake Forest and Old Wake Forest Roads, carrying Wake Forest Road's seven narrow lanes northwest through a commercial area. About a mile to the northwest, at an intersection with Quail Ridge Road, Falls of Neuse reduces to five lanes of standard width. The roadway continues four miles to the north, through primarily commercial development, then turns to the east at an intersection with Strickland Road. After an interchange with I-540, Falls of Neuse heads northeast, passing by WakeMed North and the City of Raleigh water treatment plant. At an intersection with Raven Ridge Road, Falls of Neuse transitions to a four-lane road divided by a landscaped median as it travels through residential development surrounded by dense forestland. The roadway turns to the north at Dunn Road, runs along the western boundary of the Bedford subdivision and passes the Falls Lake Dam visitor center, before having an intersection with Wide River Drive/Old Falls of Neuse Road. Falls of Neuse then crosses the Neuse River and travels northeast through Wakefield Plantation, following the former route of New Falls of Neuse Road. The roadway connects to commercial and residential areas as it approaches its northern terminus at Capital Boulevard in Wake Forest, forming a continuation from South Main Street.
Original Alignments
In 2011, the City of Raleigh completed phase one of a two-phase project that widened and realigned Falls of Neuse from Raven Ridge Road to Fonville Road, leaving behind the original alignment of Falls of Neuse Road. Renamed Old Falls of Neuse Road in 2013, the two-lane road travels through densely forested land as it crosses the Neuse River at the Falls Lake Dam before passing by Wakefield High School. The roadway runs along the western side of Wakefield, then approaches its northern terminus at NC 98 near Wake Forest.
Another old alignment, known as Keith Store Road was created in 2010 as NCDOT completed the final segment of the NC 98 Bypass in Wake Forest. This short segment carried Falls of Neuse Road from what is now Garden Hill Drive in Wakefield to its original northern terminus at Old NC Highway 98.
Future Projects
Due to severe traffic congestion caused by traffic traveling south from Wake Forest onto I-540, NCDOT is in the process of widening a one-mile stretch of Falls of Neuse Road between the I-540 interchange and Durant Road. Originally scheduled to begin construction in 2019, the project expands the roadway from a five-lane undivided parkway to a six-lane median divided urban boulevard.
As part of a corridor study of the section of Falls of Neuse between Durant Road and Wakefield Pines Drive, the City of Raleigh plans to extend the sidewalk along the west side of the road from Raven Ridge Road to the I-540 interchange and install streetlights between Raven Ridge and Durant.
