U.S. Route 70 is a major east/west US highway providing a major link between the cities of Raleigh and Durham.
Route Description
US 70 enters Durham County from the southwest, then follows I-85 around the north side of the city of Durham. At exit 178, US 70 travels due south in concurrency with I-885 before transitioning to a four-lane road with a continuous center turn lane along Miami Boulevard. In the midst of a commercial area at the intersection of Miami Boulevard/Mineral Springs Road, US 70 continues southeast on a median-divided roadway through a largely undeveloped area. US 70 then crosses over into Wake County, following Glenwood Avenue through Northwest Raleigh, after which it is joined by NC 50 at Creedmoor Road near Crabtree Valley Mall. Just north of Downtown Raleigh, US 70 and NC 50 follow Wade Avenue, to US 401/Capital Boulevard. The three highways run concurrently through Downtown Raleigh as Capital Boulevard splits into Dawson (southbound) and McDowell (northbound) Streets, after which they follow South Saunders and later Wilmington Streets through South Raleigh. At the Garner town limits, US 401 forks onto Fayetteville Road and travels through the west side of town, while US 70/NC 50 proceed to the east, becoming the main business thoroughfare of the north side of town. NC 50 splits from US 70 at two-lane Benson Road, four-lane US 70 continuing southeast towards I-40. US 70 and I-40 share a concurrency between exits 306 and 309, where US 70 leaves Wake County along the Clayton Bypass freeway.
Projects
US 70 Freeway
US 70 between I-540 in Raleigh and the East End Connector in Durham is planned to be converted into a six-lane freeway. The project is designed to alleviate traffic congestion along the corridor and reduce the number of crashes in the area. Currently unfunded, the freeway would be built in two phases. The first focuses on a two-mile stretch of 70 from Page Road in southern Durham County to I-540 in Raleigh. This phase will include new interchanges at Brier Creek Parkway and TW Alexander Drive.
Phase Two is the remaining section of the freeway, which will have an interchange with South Miami Boulevard/Mineral Springs Road. This phase of the project would require building adjacent service roads due to the higher concentration of driveways directly connecting to US 70 and heavy commercial development at the South Miami intersection.
Glenwood Avenue Widening
The segment of Glenwood Avenue from I-540 to Duraleigh and Millbrook Roads is planned for widening. With construction scheduled to begin in 2028 or later, the project has two alternatives. The first widens the road to eight lanes with traditional full-movement intersections while the second widens the road to six lanes with superstreet intersections. Both alternatives propose a sidewalk along the westbound lanes and a multi-use path along the eastbound lanes.
Improvements at Crabtree Valley Mall
In response to traffic congestion in the vicinity of Crabtree Valley Mall, NCDOT plans to make improvements to I-440 at its interchange with Glenwood Avenue. With the goal of separating US 70 through traffic from local mall traffic, the project will also involve the intersection of Glenwood Avenue, Blue Ridge Road, and Lead Mine Road, replace the bridge that carries Blue Ridge across Crabtree Creek, and potentially address the issue of "cut-through" traffic on Ridge Road. Construction was initially envisioned to begin in 2019, the project was later pushed back to 2025 as a result of funding concerns; it was later pushed back to an unspecified date following economic hardships NCDOT faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
