The North Carolina Department of Transportation announced that Raeford Road is about to be upgraded. 

In hopes of making the road, one of the busiest in Fayetteville, less congested and safer for walking and driving, a stretch of the western portion of the road will be reconstructed. NCDOT awarded a contract of $35.8 million dollars to go toward the project, which will begin in February 2022. Highland Paving Co. of Fayetteville was the winning bidder of the contract. 

HPC must keep four lanes, a minimum of two in each direction, open during the construction between 6 a.m.-7 p.m. 

“This will be a big safety enhancement and a major investment in one of the city’s busiest corridors,” said Drew Cox, the department’s Division 6 engineer responsible for the Fayetteville region.

The decision to work on the road follows a study by NCDOT that showed 78 percent of crashes on the road were “between intsersections where there is an open center turn lane. The road’s crash rate is 1.8 times higher than normal compared to similar highways,” NCDOT explained. 

This project in particular will focus on a 2.1-mile stretch between Old Raeford Road and Bunce Road. Changes include new raised medians, added turning lanes, a new storm drainage system, and concrete curbs, gutters, and sidewalks. 

The project is scheduled for completion by the fall of 2024.