About the NC 50 Project

Area officials, residents, and stakeholders are quick to say that they have been anticipating this type of study for a long time.  Locals like to point out that Granville County is the only neighboring county not connected to Raleigh or Wake County by a divided US highway of four lanes or more.  NC 50 has remained a two-lane, undivided section, ferrying area travelers between I-85, the Granville communities of Creedmoor, Oxford, and Butner, as well as northern Wake County.
From a technical standpoint, it is easy to see why NC 50 has remained just a two-lane road.  Traffic volumes have remained relatively low, with:

• 7,000 to 8,000 vehicles per day crossing Falls Lake,
• 11,000 on Main Street in Creedmoor,
• 19,000 crossing or accessing the I-540 interchange.

But, drive the corridor and you’ll find it is not capacity that is the issue, but rather queuing vehicles resulting from commercial trucks slowed by the hilly topography or residents turning into the numerous driveways.  The task at hand will be to evaluate innovative design concepts that balance the competing interests of land use, the environment, and transportation—not just a typical four-lane, divided cross-section.

The character of the NC 50 corridor also limits what improvements may be implemented.  Four distinct context zones exist along the study corridor, and each zone will call for different approaches and treatments to adequately address its unique elements.  There will be fundamental differences in opinion from those residents south of NC 98 living in relatively large homes in subdivisions and those residents north of Falls Lake residing on historic family farms or large lots along the frontage.  While these residents will form the majority of the participants in the public involvement forums, other important constituencies will include:

• Local farmers, their heirs, and agricultural extension offices
• Creedmoor business owners
• Commuters headed to RTP and Raleigh
• Government employees commuting to and from Butner
• Local planners, engineers, and economic development staff
• Environmental interests concerned with Falls Lake
• US Army Corps of Engineers
• Commercial trucking operators

It will be crucial to reach out to each of these groups as well as others identified during the study to obtain their input, opinions, and feedback to ensure all interests are served in the best collective manner.