Effort to complete 540 Outer Loop moves one step closer to fruition, NCDOT says
(Triangle Business Journal – November 3, 2015)
The effort to complete the 540 Outer Loop around the greater Raleigh area has cleared a significant procedural hurdle, the N.C. Department of Transportation says.
The Federal Highway Administration has signed off on an environmental impact statement for the project.
NCDOT plans to build the project in three phases. “Depending on available funding, each project will likely have different construction time lines,” the department says.
Joe Milazzo, executive director of the Regional Transportation Alliance business coalition, says the delays to the project will ultimately be worth it.
“We’d like the project to be done yesterday, but we understand there is a process,” Milazzo says. “This is a project that will affect the region’s future for the next 10, 20 or 30 years. A few extra months are not a big deal if it ensures the project is successful on the backend.”