Ligon Mill Road scheduled now scheduled to reopen Thursday

Monday, April 7, 2025 - 11:32am

***Ligon Mill Road Update Part 2 - According to Fred Smith Co., the contractor working on the Ligon Mill Road realignment, Ligon Mill Road will reopen at 6 a.m. Thursday, April 10.

The delayed reopening is due to road striping equipment issues and more time needed to allow the bridge sealant to set.

The information below was distributed today (April 9) at 10:30 a.m.

***UPDATE - Due to road striping equipment issues, Ligon Mill Road is tentatively expected to reopen today (Wednesday, April 9) by 6 p.m.

The information below was distributed Monday, April 7, at 11:31 a.m.

NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT) officials say the portion of Ligon Mill Road from Woodrose Lane to Burlington Mills Road that has been closed since mid-March will reopen Wednesday morning, April 9.

The road closure was necessary to allow crews to realign Ligon Mill Road from the existing bridge that spans Smith Creek to a new replacement bridge. Built in 1967 to span Smith Creek, the existing bridge had to be replaced due to the deterioration of bridge components that could no longer be addressed by maintenance. It was also considered functionally obsolete, which means the bridge no longer met the demands of the traffic using it.

NCDOT evaluated options to improve traffic operations while reducing the project’s effect on the community and environment. Ultimately, the new bridge was constructed on new alignment to the east of the existing location while traffic was maintained on the existing alignment.

Construction on the replacement bridge began in January 2023. The following improvements are included as part of the project:

  • 200-foot long, 58-foot-wide bridge (roadway width of 47 feet).

  • Three 11-foot lanes (two in each direction with a center turn lane).

  • Five-foot bike lane in the northbound and southbound directions.

  • Five-foot sidewalks along the east side of Ligon Mill Road from the northern project limit to Song Sparrow Drive and on the west side of Ligon Mill Road from the bridge to the southern project limit.

  • The roadway elevation of the new bridge will be approximately six feet higher than the existing bridge to accommodate a future Town of Wake Forest greenway underneath. 

For more information, contact the NCDOT Resident Engineer’s office at 919-263-6260.