NC State closed the southbound lane of Morrill Drive for a water-line replacement on Sept. 26. Demar Bonnemere, the communications manager of NC State’s Department of Transportation, said the plan consists of eight phases, with the closure being a part of phase two through four.
According to a project summary shared through email correspondence with David Hammock, an engineer from NC State’s Facilities’ Design and Construction department, the project will replace roughly 1,000 feet of the water main as well as the fire hydrants.
The project summary said, “The project team selected the current traffic control plan to prioritize the safety of the students and construction workers. Safety was the determining factor when choosing the traffic control plan.”
The traffic control plan consists of blocking off Morrill Drive from where it intersects with Warren Carroll Drive, up to Western Blvd. Metal fences and orange signs indicate the road closure and detours for drivers to take, even the sidewalk has also been blocked off.
Unaware students walking up Morrill Drive must cross the road with the driver’s visibility lowered by the fences and heavy machinery. Although there is a speed bump, some drivers ignore it, making it dangerous for pedestrians and cars doing a U-turn.
Naila Din, fourth year student and NC State Student Senate President, said construction has been impeding accessibility paths.
“That’s what our student government’s department of Equity and Accessibility is trying to look at with the construction. How are we able to still ensure accessible pathways for students to walk and students in the wolf pack pickup carts to drive around, things like that.”
These closures redirected Wolfline bus routes 41, 30, 50, and 52. “Wolfline routes were detoured using the most direct paths to stay on schedule while minimizing missed stops,” said Bonnemere in an email correspondence. “Alternate stops were added to support affected areas.”
Instead of taking Morrill Drive’s southbound lane to exit the main campus, they have been rerouted to take Pullen Rd. During rush hours in the afternoon these new routes have worsened traffic conditions at the Cates Avenue and Morrill Drive intersection by Talley Student Union.
Cars have been backed up, blocking pedestrian crossings. However, the Department of Transportation has been making adjustments.
“Transportation is working with the City of Raleigh to increase traffic light phases on Pullen/Cates and Pullen/Western lights to decrease wait times to make a right on Pullen between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m,” Bonnemere said. “We encourage drivers exiting campus between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to head north on Pullen Road and Dan Allen Drive to avoid traffic.”
Although there have been complaints about construction and a noticeable issue with traffic by the road closure, there’s a lack of students voicing their concerns. Din said, “I would definitely like to see more students be an advocate for themselves in this construction.”
In a time when multiple construction projects are occurring on campus it’s important for students and staff to reach out about their concerns.
More roads and sidewalks will be blocked off as construction projects pass the designing period and traffic will get heavier as students and staff work around it.
Bonnemere said, “the logistical challenges of trying to maintain two lanes of traffic,” was one of the factors taken into consideration when blocking off the street. Student input is important when making these decisions.
Din said, “Send emails to the Department of Transportation. If enough students come up, share the same concern, then the department of transportation will hopefully listen and take that into consideration when planning future construction sites and how that might impede transportation around campus.”
It’s also encouraged for students to attend Student Senate meetings which occur every other Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Talley Student Union Governance Chambers. During off weeks they hold committee meetings where students can discuss more personal concerns with them.
Hammock said the construction is expected to be complete by the end of July 2026. However, construction has been moving ahead of schedule and is predicted to be completed by the end of March 2026.