Four years after work began, drivers in Raleigh are finally rolling across a new two-lane Ligon Street bridge over the I-440 Beltline, trading in the tight, one-lane tunnel that had been squeezing traffic since the 1960s. The upgrade turns an awkward underpass into a full street crossing, with sidewalks on both sides and space for people on bikes and on foot. For anyone walking or biking between N.C. State and facilities west of the highway, the change is hard to miss.
In a press release from the N.C. Department of Transportation, the agency said the bridge opened April 2 as part of the broader I-440 improvements project. The new structure replaces the outdated tunnel and adds two lanes plus sidewalks. NCDOT notes that the span strengthens connections between N.C. State’s main campus and buildings west of the Beltline, including the J.C. Raulston Arboretum.
The Engineering: Lifting Ligon Over The Beltline
To clear the interstate below, crews brought in about 23,000 tons of pea-size gravel, roughly 1,150 truckloads, and built retaining walls as tall as 45 feet to hold the raised roadbed, according to The News & Observer. The old one-lane tunnel was closed and filled with concrete in April 2022 to cut the risk that it might eventually cave in.
NCDOT resident engineer Cody Winkler told the paper that installing the panels and steel straps that lock the fill into place was “cool stuff,” a bit of engineer-speak for a project that turned a low-slung underpass into a full-fledged bridge.
Cost, Setbacks And Repairs
The bridge itself was estimated to cost about $3.54 million, and not everything went smoothly on the way up. Crews had to replace several 88-foot girders after a dump truck with a raised bed struck them during work last March, a repair that The News & Observer reported the contractor will cover. “The contractor will have to cover the replacement cost,” Winkler told the paper. The girder replacement was pegged at roughly $105,000 in that reporting.
What Drivers And Campus Users Will Notice
In a separate update, NCDOT noted that lanes on the west side of the Beltline have been shifted into their final pattern between Wade Avenue and Walnut Street, although finishing work at several interchanges is expected to continue in the months ahead…