The Rogers Road bridge in Wake Forest, NC is due to shut down completely in April, 2016 for approximately 5 months to be rebuilt.  It was decided in 2013 by the Town of Wake Forest to let the DOT pay for the bridge replacement with a complete closure, first estimated at 3 months, now estimated at 5 months.  The DOT is paying for the bridge replacement.

The only detour planned for all of the east side of the bridge Heritage/Rolesville communities to the schools on the West side of Rogers Road (Heritage Middle School, Heritage Elementary School as well as private schools: Thales Academy, Heritage Children's Academy, Rising Star Christian Academy, Kids R Kids Learning Academy of Wake Forest) is Heritage Lake Rd to Highway 98 to S. Main in Wake Forest and back down to Rogers.

With this plan the bus routes alone would be 5 miles each way (10 miles to pick up and deliver children in the morning and 10 miles in the evening) and all and carpool parents from Heritage Elementary and Middle Schools and all private schools as well as the entire community will be at risk in the traffic situation proposed.  

This singular detour, during the planned closure (most of which are 2 lane roads) presents a horrific safety issue. Approximately 24,000 vehicles per day from Rogers would be rerouted including all (time dependent) school buses, carpool parents and commuters.  Also, the businesses on both sides of the bridge will be decimated by the bridge closure and lack of access to east and west Rogers Road.

The best solution is to offer a second connector just east of the bridge It would be the unfinished partial road (Foundation Drive) next to Heritage High School to Heritage Branch Road which would exit on to Rogers Rd. just west of the Elementary and Middle Schools as the most appropriate detour.  

We need signatures to request approval and funding of this project and postponement of the bridge closure to allow the estimated time to build this critical detour road.  

Tre Dugal, PE  (Sr, Transportation Engineer) with Ramey Kemp Associates has estimated 3 million for a  (half mile) 3 lane road to include a bridge over Smith creek, design and permits and 12 to 18 months.  

This is the only safe option to the closure which will happen but with this solution, we will protect the community during the shutdown.  

We are requesting Senator Chad Barefoot and Rep. Chris Malone to assist in funding and Joey Hopkins (Div 5 DOT) and our local municipality and Wake County School Board to assist in support for this road completion and in postponement of the bridge project to allow for this solution.  The Foundation Dr. land is owned by the school board.

Rogers Road is a major artery for Wake Forest and an integral roadway for the area. The plan to widen the bridge and road will ultimately be extremely helpful due to the enormous, unbridled growth in the Wake Forest area.  We need to prepare for the impact of the bridge closure by creating this "Foundation Solution" connector as soon as possible.