I-440 Beltline Widening

Overview

Originally constructed in the 1960s, I-440—commonly known as the Raleigh Beltline—is undergoing a major transformation to meet modern standards after more than six decades of serving steadily increasing traffic volumes. The $346 million I-440 Beltline Widening project, led by Lane Construction for the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), will widen and rehabilitate a 6.5-mile stretch of the corridor to improve access, traffic flow, and overall efficiency.

According to NCDOT, North Carolina’s population has grown enormously in recent years, making the state one of the fastest growing in the nation. With more people living, working, and visiting North Carolina, there are also more people on the roads. The I-440 Beltline Widening project is one example of how NCDOT strives for ways to improve traffic flow and safety for drivers.

Lane’s work on the I-440 Beltline Widening project began in 2019, with mainline construction scheduled for completion by the end of 2025.

The project area, spanning from Walnut Street in Cary to Wade Avenue in Raleigh, includes several heavily traveled interchanges with outdated design features. According to NCDOT, these include limited sight distances, narrow shoulders and medians, and short acceleration and deceleration lanes—all of which contribute to congestion and safety concerns.