The Shops sit just off a section of Durant Road that’s become a sea of construction cones and heavy machinery, as NCDOT gears up for a major new project: a new bridge on Durant that will sail over the S-Line, a new rail line connecting Raleigh and Richmond.
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Traffic shift begins on Durant Road in North Raleigh
Eric Miller, WRAL anchor/reporter
Katy Petrisin knew it was coming, but still, Saturday morning was a shock.
“We couldn’t even turn into the parking lot from the direction that I come [from], so it was a big change,” she said.
Petrisin owns Ware Ware Studio inside the Shops at Vintage Village.
The Shops sit just off a section of Durant Road that’s become a sea of construction cones and heavy machinery, as NCDOT gears up for a major new project: a new bridge on Durant that will sail over the S-Line, a new rail line connecting Raleigh and Richmond.
The project is expected to take nearly two years to complete, and the noise, dust and traffic disruption has small business owners like Petrisin nervous.
“We’re all kind of on our own, trying to make it work,” she said.
Stores are getting creative to find ways to advertise in the middle of the mess.
The owners of Dog=Love, a boutique pet supply company, have been salvaging discarded campaign signs and repainting them.
Others are stepping up their social media presence, like the Neuse General Store.
“We’re…letting our customers know what’s going on, and how they can navigate the parking lot,” said Sherry Adams, a retail assistant at the store.
Adams says the construction company working on the project has also promised to install a flashing sign saying businesses are open, and that the initial stages of construction – clearing out trees and brush – actually boosted business.
“We’ve handled it very positively,” she said.
Construction on the new bridge on Durant Road kicked off Saturday morning, as crews began scrubbing off old paint and lines on the road.
“We’re doing the project in phases so that we don’t have to interrupt traffic all the time,” said NCDOT spokesperson Kim Deaner.
Deaner says this phase involves narrowing the lanes on Durant Road “by a couple of inches”, and shouldn’t last long.
Construction on the bridge itself will be more involved – but Deaner says, will eventually have an upside.
“In the end, it is going to be a beautiful project and the S line is going to be a great addition for relieving the congestion around Durant Road, around Capitol Boulevard,” she said.
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