Triangle Expressway

The money for the project comes from $625 million in bonds and a $387 million loan from the federal government. The North Carolina Turnpike Authority deposited this money on July 29, 2009, and on the same day the agency's executive director David W. Joyner signed contracts to pay $584 million of that money to three companies to build the road over the next 42 months, creating 13,800 jobs.

Toll Rates of NC 147 from NC 540

The Triangle Expressway is built as an all-electronic toll road with billing by license plate,[4] similar to Maryland's Route 200 (InterCounty Connector, largely opened to traffic in 2011).

Drivers can open an account and use a North Carolina Quick Pass transponder, which results in a lower rate. Other drivers will have their license plates photographed, and they will receive a bill.[4] The expected rates are 15 cents per mile (9.3 ¢/km) for those with transponders, and 24 cents per mile (15 ¢/km) for others.[2][12]

On May 4, 2010, the Turnpike Authority signed a contract with TransCore to provide transponders.[13] Drivers can, however, use their existing accounts; North Carolina becomes the only state to offer this option. 350,000 new transponders are expected to be issued in the first five years.[14] Transponder sales began October 11, 2011.[15] In later years, interoperability was established with the following ETC systems: E-ZPass, Peach Pass and SunPass.

At the time of its opening, residents in the area have complained about the tolls, considering that the new highway is the only toll road in North Carolina, and especially since other large sections of 540 have been completed without tolls. Business people who plan to use the highway, however, claim that the time savings will more than balance out the cost.[16]

The "Triangle Parkway" was first proposed in 1958, as part of Research Triangle Park. On February 16, 2005, it was one of four roads selected by the Turnpike Authority to be built as toll roads in North Carolina. The estimated cost was $69 million for 3.2 miles (5.1 km) between Davis Drive and NC 54. An additional $29 million could be spent extending that highway 1.3 miles (2.1 km) to McCrimmon Parkway in Morrisville, whose leaders opposed the idea. The original parkway route, however, had no real opponents.[18]

At the groundbreaking ceremony in 2009, Representative David Price pointed out that using tolls to finance this road "was not our first choice." Instead, area governments concluded the road would have taken 15 more years to complete any other way, so the decision to charge tolls came in 2005.[19] The 12.5-mile (20.1 km) Western Wake Expressway from RTP to Holly Springs had been delayed earlier in the year, and the legislature had increased the number of toll projects allowed from four to nine.[20]

In July 2006, the legislature decided to allow the section of I-540 connecting the Triangle Parkway and Western Wake Expressway to be a toll road if the other two roads were also toll roads, even though the road was already being built.[21]

Federal approval for the use of tolls came in January 2007. The Turnpike Authority asked that the new section of road not be called an Interstate.

Just before the July 2007 opening of the 4.5-mile (7.2 km) I-540 section between I-40 and NC 55, I-540 signs came down, replaced with NC 540 signs. Using the designation NC 540, a decision made in May 2007, was less confusing than giving the road an entirely new number.[6]

The name "Triangle Expressway" became official in May 2007, and turnpike board member Perry R. Safran said the committee also wanted the nickname "TriEx".[22]

On November 14, 2007, the board decided toll booths would not be used,[23] and on June 5, 2008, the State House voted to approve $25 million a year for 39 years for the project. This would cover the difference between expected toll collections and actual costs.[24]

Groundbreaking was held on August 12, 2009 at the west end of Interstate 540 (I-540). "A dozen dignitaries" used shovels painted gold as 150 watched.[19]

On December 8, 2011, the first leg of the Triangle Expressway opened to traffic. Toll collection began January 3, 2012.[2][25]

On August 1, 2012, the second section of the Triangle Expressway, from Research Triangle Park to U.S. 64, opened. Toll collection began the following day.[3]

On December 20, 2012, the section from U.S. 64 to NC 55 in Holly Springs opened with toll collection beginning in January.[9]

Toll rates change almost annually as required by the bond covenant created for the funding of the Expressway. Since its initial rate set at 2012, it has increased in 2013, 2015 and 2016.[26][27]

On January 20, 2017, the expressway was chosen as one of 10 testing locations for driverless cars.[28]

Planned as the next phase of the Triangle Expressway and the final segment of the Raleigh Beltway, the Triangle Expressway Southeast Extension (also known as the Southern and Eastern Wake Freeways) will traverse 30 miles (48 km) linking NC 540 and I-540, just south of Knightdale. Planning for the route started in 2010, but was put on hold on March, 2011 by the enactment of North Carolina Session Law 2011-7 (N.C. S.L. 2011-7). This law stated routes to study "shall not be located north of" the Orange Route, shown on maps for 20 years, potentially impacting wetlands and endangered mollusks.[29][30][31][32] The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opposed the Orange Route unless other potential routes could be found. A map unveiled August 22, 2012 shows the Lilac Route and the Plum Route, which would result in less environmental impact but would cause the loss of more homes. Planners hoped for a final route by 2014.[33] On December 7, 2012, the Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers replied to NCDOT saying they could not legally evaluate the Orange Route without comparing it to another route expected to cause less environmental harm. Since there is an impasse between the Federal government and the state regarding the issue, the federal funds for the project have been cut, putting the Southeast Extension on hiatus.[34]

A Draft Environmental Impact Statement released in late 2015 included 17 options, the Red Route included. Construction west of Interstate 40 would start in 2018 or later. The Lilac Route avoided the environmental problems of the Orange Route but like the Red Route would result in many homes being lost, and the Raleigh water treatment plant would also be affected. The Blue Route and Purple Route to the south of the others would cause the loss of even more homes. East of Interstate 40, there was no preferred route, and all of the options had problems.[35]

In June 2018, the federal government approved a 28.4 mile (45.71 km) extension of NC-540 which would complete the southern loop of NC-540 around Raleigh from the current terminus in Holly Springs to the Interstate 540 terminus in Knightdale. The project will be completed in multiple phases and cost approximately $2.24 billion.[36]

A new exit is currently under construction that would provide an intersection at Morrisville Parkway. Anticipated completion of this intersection is late 2019.[37]

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Wake	Apex	17.5	28.2	54	NC 55 – Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina	Signed as exits 54A (west) and 54B (east) and current end of NC 540
		16.2	26.1	55	Veridea Parkway
	​	15.4	24.8	56	US 1 – Raleigh, Sanford	To Harris Lake; signed as exits 56A (north) and 56B (south)
	​	14.5	23.3	57	South Salem Street
	Apex	11.7	18.8	59	US 64 – Apex, Pittsboro	To Jordan Lake; signed as exits 59A (east) and 59B (west)
	Cary	9.0	14.5	62	Green Level West Road – Cary
		7.0	11.3	64	Morrisville Parkway
		5.0	8.0	66	NC 55 – Cary, Durham	To USA Baseball; signed as exits 66A (east) and 66B (west)
	Morrisville	3.3	5.3	67	NC 540 east to I-40 east to I-540 – RDU Airport, Raleigh	NC 147 exit 1
				Route transition from NC 540 to NC 147
Durham	Research Triangle Park	1.7	2.7	2 / 3	Davis Drive / Hopson Road	Signed exit 2 northbound, exit 3 southbound
		0.0	0.0	5	I-40 to NC 54 – Raleigh, Chapel Hill	Signed as exit 5A (east) and 5B (west)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Route transition

Note – Exit numbers are based on NC 147 or NC 540.

•  United States portal
•  U.S. Roads portal

• North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA)
• North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA) website for the Triangle Expressway project
• NCQuickPass Triangle Expressway Toll Guide