Improvements are coming to Murchison Road. Here's what to expect with construction
A Murchison Road improvement project, set to enhance traffic flow and pedestrian safety with an estimated construction cost of $18.6 million, is on track for to begin in 2025.
The project will focus on N.C. 210/Murchison Road between Interstate 295 and the U.S. 401 Bypass. Work is expected to begin in fall 2025 with the relocation of utility and sewer lines, said North Carolina Department of Transportation spokesperson Andrew Barksdale.
The NCDOT began contacting the owners of 140 properties along the corridor in December 2023 to settle on an agreement, as some land must be acquired before construction can begin on Murchison Road.
“A lot of these parcels are very small, and they are permanent easements and minor little slivers of land,” said Barksdale. “We’ve already settled about 10% and as much as possible, we’re going to try to get settlements where both parties agree. It’s easier for everyone if we can just get a settlement and justly compensate them for the property that we need for this road improvement project.”
Previous reporting: A Murchison Road project will take land from 140 properties. Here's what we know so far.
No residential relocations are anticipated, though the possibility of a single business relocation is still under consideration. The majority of these parcels consist of parking spaces situated in front of businesses, as utility and sewer lines need to be dug up and pushed off to the side to make room for road improvements, Barksdale said.
The city council voted in 2022 to support the project for improvements on Murchison Road, according to city records obtained by The Fayetteville Observer.
Fayetteville City Councilman Mario Benavente is in favor of the project and believes it will benefit the community.
"Whenever you hear the term eminent domain, you think 'is it going to impact my area?'" said Benavente, who represents Fayetteville City Council District 3, where this project is taking place. "Once people put their eyes on the maps, they saw that this was a great improvement to the area."
"Pedestrians are always crossing the street. The safest thing to do is to offer them a way to get back and forth," Benavente said.
Barksdale also touted the safety improvements that this road project would have for Murchison Road and the residents in the area.
“This is a project that will improve safety, increase pedestrian access, and a project the city council is excited to get built,” Barksdale said. “We’re going to try to do the best we can to minimize property impacts, but most of these (properties) are smaller little pieces of land here and there that we need, and some of it is also for the utility easements.”
The current focus of the project is on the right-of-way process, which is where the North Carolina Department of Transportation has two years to come to an agreement with property owners to ensure fair compensation, Barksdale said. This project is funded and the NCDOT expects to award the contract in 2026, once the right-of-way process is completed, according to Barksdale.
Murchison Road project features
The $18.6 million construction cost will go toward raised medians with new greenery, concrete islands and additional turn lanes. It will also cover the relocation of water and sewer lines, new concrete curbs and gutters, sidewalks, a multi-use path on the eastern side of the road, and resurfaced and restriped roads, according to Barksdale.
“The city has been wanting to see this improved and updated for several years, and it’s taken a while for us to go through the public input, public planning process, public meetings, budget for it, and fund it. So, it’s going to be a really nice, updated road,” Barksdale said.
There will be a 10-foot greenway multi-use path and a five-foot sidewalk on the opposite side of Murchison Road, with a raised median to replace the current center turn lane and the addition of new turn lanes for residents to use when making left turns, according to the public meeting map. The road is two lanes in each direction and will remain that way, Barksdale said.
“The raised median will make it safer and improve traffic flow, as you won’t have cars randomly pulling out in front of you from the other direction like they do now,” Barksdale said. “It’s going to be a much better road, function better, look better, and it’s still scheduled for 2026, taking two years to complete.”
Reporter Lizmary Evans covers growth and development for The Fayetteville Observer. You can reach her at LEvans@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Road improvement plan coming to Murchison Road in Fayetteville, NC
