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June 6, 2003
For Immediate Release
Contact: Mindy Hamlin, Communications Dept.
Phone: 840-2100 ext. 207
RDU to Complete Improvements to I-40/Aviation Parkway Interchange
RDU AIRPORT, NC (June
6, 2003) - The
Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority is nearing completion on improvements
to the I-40/Aviation Parkway interchange. The changes will bring some
much needed relief to Triangle-area drivers by significantly decreasing
congestion on Aviation Parkway and improving traffic flow to and from
Interstate 40. Weather permitting, the major improvements will be completed
in time for the Monday morning commute.
The changes include a loop
ramp from Aviation Parkway onto I-40. Currently, drivers traveling from
the airport to eastbound I-40 must turn left onto the interstate, often
causing backups on Aviation Parkway.
The airport has also added
a free flowing right-turn lane from I-40 westbound onto northbound Aviation
Parkway. The additional lane will benefit airport-bound passengers and
daily commuters alike.
Electronic signs will advise
drivers of the new traffic patterns.
The Airport Authority voted
last year to fund the nearly $2 million project to ensure easy access
for passengers traveling to and from the airport.
The North Carolina Department
of Transportation identified the interchange as a choke point but had
not placed it on a calendar of upcoming transportation improvements. The
Authority recognized that traffic at this interchange would only increase
and approached the DOT for permission to complete the project.
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