The US 1 corridor is located in northeastern Wake and southwestern Franklin Counties, between I-540 in Raleigh and the northern intersection of US 1/US 1A (North Main Street) in Franklin County, a length of approximately 14 miles (see Study Area).

The corridor study area is in the Triangle metropolitan area of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill and is an important corridor in the north-south movement of people and goods in the region. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has designated US 1 as a Strategic Highway Corridor, as the facility connects the Raleigh area to Henderson and I-85. Due to increasing developmental pressures and the existing traffic congestion along portions of US 1 within the study area, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (Capital Area MPO) along with other study sponsors has established the need to develop a comprehensive multimodal transportation plan for the corridor. The purpose for conducting Study is to address two critical transportation needs:

• To meet the growing travel demand
• To improve safety

The US 1 Corridor Study will develop an integrated transportation plan that provides for a high level of mobility as well as encouraging well-planned and sustainable growth along this corridor. An important goal of the study is to determine the right-of-way needed for implementation of the proposed improvements along the US 1 corridor before encroaching development makes multimodal improvements infeasible.

The US 1 Corridor serves multiple travel purposes:

• US 1 accommodates interstate travel, linking Raleigh with I-85 to the north.
• US 1 connects downtown Raleigh with its northeastern suburban areas, including the Towns of Wake Forest and Youngsville, and unincorporated Wake and Franklin Counties.
• This route will continue to become even more critical in providing regional connectivity when the eastern extension of I-540 is completed.
• This section of US 1 serves as a local circulation route for north-south travel within the study area because the secondary road system is not complete.

Within the study area, US 1 is a primarily a four-lane principal arterial with 13 signalized intersections and over 100 driveways connecting to its main travel lanes. This high-speed arterial roadway passes through areas of rapid commercial and residential suburban growth, which have primarily located around existing interchanges and signalized intersections. Rapid development is anticipated along the entire corridor, so it is important to evaluate access management policies and future land use plans for the area.

The US 1 Corridor Study is being conducted to achieve the following objectives:

• To develop a clear vision of the transportation roles of the US 1 corridor with respect to mobility.
• To formulate a multimodal transportation plan that incorporates highway, transit, pedestrian, and bicycle travel modes and complements the area's current and future development patterns.
• To analyze the physical layout and number of general purpose and special-use travel lanes that are needed to serve the US 1 corridor travel demand in 2030. Right-of-way requirements for the proposed improvements will be evaluated and access management measures will be considered.
• To consider community character and potential impacts throughout the planning process.
• To determine changes in the access patterns within the US 1 corridor that could encourage better multimodal cohesion and connectivity in the study area and to reduce crashes along the corridor.
• To ensure a positive influence on the surrounding community, neighborhood input and community involvement will play a critical role in the public involvement program.