RALEIGH – State auditors say funding for the Blue Ridge Road Underpass Project rose from $50.7 million in 2018 to $71.6 million in 2025 while the expected completion date moved from July 2023 to spring 2027.
The Office of the State Auditor released its rapid-response report Friday on the Raleigh project, which is designed to carry Blue Ridge Road beneath Hillsborough Street, Beryl Road and an adjacent railroad corridor near the North Carolina State Fairgrounds.
The $20.9 million increase amounts to 41%, according to the report. Auditors said the project was initially scheduled for completion in July 2023. Its current estimated completion is nearly four years later.
The report identified two major causes of the delay. The start of construction was held up while the North Carolina Department of Transportation waited for a right-of-entry agreement with the railroad. After construction began, crews encountered poor soil conditions that required additional work.
NCDOT’s current project page lists 2027 as the anticipated completion year for the Blue Ridge Road work. The department says the project includes underpasses for Blue Ridge Road at Hillsborough Street, Beryl Road and the railroad tracks, along with bridges carrying those routes above the road.
The audit includes recommendations aimed at improving public reporting about major construction projects. NCDOT’s written response is included in the state report.
WRAL previously reported in August 2025 that soil conditions were contributing to the delay. At the time, an NCDOT spokesperson also cited weather, and nearby business owners described the effects of the prolonged construction.
The latest audit gives state policymakers and the public a new accounting of the project’s cost and schedule as work continues near one of Raleigh’s busiest event corridors.
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Photo Credit: NCDOTcommunications via Flickr, CC BY 2.0.
Editor’s Note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.