Marching band, gold shoes and a ’57 Chevy help celebrate new section of NC 540

Before dawn Wednesday, workers will begin rolling back orange and white construction barrels to let the first paying customers onto the southern leg of N.C. 540, the Triangle Expressway.

The road officially opens at 6 a.m. The 18 miles of fresh pavement extend the six-lane toll road from Apex east to Interstate 40 and U.S. 70 near the Johnston County line.

The highway will make it easier to get to and from Research Triangle Park without going through Raleigh. It will also help spur development in southern Wake and change commuting patterns for people who live there and in neighboring Johnston and Harnett counties.

Apex Mayor Jacques Gilbert says the road is crucial to fast-growing southern Wake towns like his, which has seen its population grow by more than 90% since 2010.

“When I say I’ve been waiting for this day to come for years, I really mean it,” said Gilbert, sporting the gold shoes he wears for special occasions.

Gilbert helped cut a ribbon at a ceremony Tuesday under a tent in the westbound lanes near the Bells Lake Road exit. The N.C. Turnpike Authority , the arm of the N.C. Department of Transportation that develops and operates toll roads, organized the event, complete with the Garner Magnet High School marching band and JROTC color guard and more than a dozen classic cars from the Southland Car Club of Smithfield.

Construction began in the fall of 2019 , the first of a two-phase effort to complete the 540 Outer Loop around Raleigh. Construction began this spring on the final phase, which will extend the toll road 10 miles from I-40 up to I-87 in Knightdale . It’s expected to open sometime in 2028.

That the southern half of the 540 Outer Loop is a toll road, while the northern half is free, has been a sore point with many drivers. It goes back to a decision local officials made 20 years ago to ask the Turnpike Authority to build the southern half with toll revenue when it appeared the state wouldn’t have enough money for many years.

N.C. Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins acknowledged that decision Tuesday.

“Without their foresight and boldness, we would not be where we are today,” Hopkins said.

Tolls vary with miles on the road. Drivers with an NC Quick Pass transponder in their car will pay $8.01 to drive the length of the Triangle Expressway from Research Triangle Park south and east to I-40. Drivers without Quick Pass will pay 35% higher rates and receive a bill in the mail.

Gantries over the highway hold cameras and sensors that either read the Quick Pass or photograph the license plates of cars passing underneath.

Work will continue after road opens

There are five interchanges along the new leg of N.C. 540 — at Holly Springs Road, Bells Lake Road, Fayetteville Road (U.S. 401), Old Stage Road and Benson Road (N.C. 50).

All the interchanges open Wednesday, with two exceptions: The eastbound half of the Bells Lake Road interchange will remain closed until November, as contractors remove a temporary asphalt plant there. And the exit ramp from westbound N.C. 540 to Old Stage Road will remain closed until November as well.

Other work will continue after the highway opens, including on lighting, signs and the overhead equipment the Turnpike Authority uses to collect tolls.

The Turnpike Authority had previously said the new stretch of highway would open just before Labor Day weekend. But erosion control problems b rought to light by Tropical Storm Debby in mid-August forced a delay .

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