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Cary, Wake County

Cary: NCDOT seeks comments by Oct. 27 on $83.8 million Maynard rail plan

The state wants to take N.E. Maynard Road under three rail lines near East Chatham Street. Officials list land buying in summer 2027 and construction in spring 2032.

ConfirmedThe main facts are confirmed by official or first-hand sources.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published

People gathered on the lawn at Downtown Cary Park

File photo: DowntownCaryPark (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • The N.C. Department of Transportation, in an Oct. 5, 2026, release, said it proposes a grade separation at the N.E. Maynard Road crossing near East Chatham Street in Cary so trains and vehicles would no longer meet at street level.Confirmed by NCDOT, Oct. 5, 2026
  • That release said a public meeting would be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 6 at First Cary United Methodist Church, 117 S. Academy Street, and that comments could be submitted through Oct. 27.Confirmed by NCDOT, Oct. 5, 2026
  • NCDOT's project page for P-5718 says comments for the current phase should be in before Oct. 27, 2026, and may be sent on that page, by email, by phone or by mail.Confirmed by NCDOT PublicInput page, P-5718
  • The same page estimates $37.3 million for property acquisition, $46.5 million for construction and utilities, and $83.8 million in all, based on the current State Transportation Improvement Program, and says those figures can change.Confirmed by NCDOT PublicInput page, P-5718
  • Officials list right-of-way in summer 2027 and the start of construction in spring 2032, subject to change, and say the project is funded for right-of-way and construction.Confirmed by NCDOT PublicInput page, P-5718
  • The recommended design, Design Concept 1, would take N.E. Maynard Road under the North Carolina Railroad, Norfolk Southern H-Line and CSX S-Line and realign the East Chatham Street intersection south of its current location, outside the railroad corridor.Confirmed by NCDOT PublicInput page, P-5718
  • Typical sections on that page show two 12-foot travel lanes in each direction and a two-way center left-turn lane on N.E. Maynard Road, and one 11-foot travel lane in each direction and a two-way center left-turn lane on East Chatham Street, with curb and gutter, sidewalks and bike lanes on both streets.Confirmed by NCDOT PublicInput page, P-5718
  • The project page asks for comments on a temporary closure of the Maynard segment that now crosses the railroad, on the Chatham Street realignment and driveway changes, and on a posted detour.Confirmed by NCDOT PublicInput page, P-5718
  • NCDOT says Concept 1 would mean fewer relocations, including fewer homes, than Design Concept 2, which would have carried Maynard over Chatham Street and the tracks on a new alignment to the east. The page does not give a current count of homes or businesses that would have to move.Confirmed by NCDOT PublicInput page, P-5718
  • The department says the job is part of its Sealed Corridor Program, was put on hold in May 2020 because of funding constraints, and restarted in June 2023.Confirmed by NCDOT PublicInput page, P-5718
  • Cary Daily, writing Oct. 12 from the release and the project page, also reported the Oct. 27 comment deadline, the $83.8 million table, and the summer 2027 / spring 2032 schedule.Confirmed by Cary Daily, Oct. 12, 2026

Still unknown

  • How many homes or businesses the current design would relocate. The official page does not publish that number
  • Whether the summer 2027 or spring 2032 dates will hold
  • What, if anything, the Cary Town Council said about the project on Oct. 22

What this means for you

Roads
Nothing changes at the crossing now. If the project is built, NCDOT says the Maynard segment that now crosses the tracks would close for a time. Follow posted signs if work ever starts. Dates are years away and can move.

Instructions from N.C. Department of Transportation

This site is not the N.C. Department of Transportation. To comment by Oct. 27, use the official project page, email MaynardRoad-GradeSeparation@publicinput.com, call 984-205-6615 and enter project code 7714, or write the Rail Division at 1 S. Wilmington Street, Raleigh, NC 27699. This site is not an emergency service. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

What happened

In Cary, the N.C. Department of Transportation is still taking comments through Tuesday, Oct. 27, on a plan to put N.E. Maynard Road under the railroad near East Chatham Street.

An Oct. 5 state release said the work would separate the crossing so cars and trains would no longer meet at street level. The department held an Oct. 6 open house at First Cary United Methodist Church, 117 S. Academy Street. Comments sent after that meeting still count.

The official project page lists $83.8 million in the current State Transportation Improvement Program: $37.3 million to buy land and $46.5 million for building and utilities. Those figures can change.

The design the department endorses, called Concept 1, would take Maynard under the North Carolina Railroad, Norfolk Southern's H-Line and CSX's S-Line, and move the Chatham Street intersection south, out of the rail corridor. Drawings show Maynard with two 12-foot lanes in each direction and a two-way left-turn lane in the middle. The Chatham Street typical section is one 11-foot lane each way, a matching center lane, sidewalks and bike lanes.

Officials list land buying in summer 2027 and the start of construction in spring 2032, dates they say can move. The page says the Maynard segment that now crosses the tracks would close for a time and posts a detour map.

NCDOT says the option it picked would mean fewer moves, including fewer homes, than carrying the road over the tracks. It does not publish a current count of businesses or houses that would be relocated.

The job is part of the Sealed Corridor Program. The department says it paused the work in May 2020 for lack of money and restarted it in June 2023. It is now funded for land and construction.

Cary Daily, writing Oct. 12 from those same official pages, also listed the Tuesday deadline and the $83.8 million table.

Comments may go on the project page, to MaynardRoad-GradeSeparation@publicinput.com, to 984-205-6615 (project code 7714), or by mail to the Rail Division at 1 S. Wilmington Street, Raleigh, NC 27699.

Nothing at the crossing changes this week. This site is not NCDOT. Use the official comment page. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

Photos

Text-only. No state or outlet photos are used here.

Why it matters

Comments close Tuesday. Officials say the underpass would separate cars from trains at a street-level crossing, later close a stretch of Maynard, and could move nearby property. Nothing at the tracks changes this week.

Updates

  1. Oct 22, 2026, 8:12 PM

    NCDOT's Oct. 5 release and its project page still list an Oct. 27 comment deadline on the $83.8 million Maynard underpass. Officials put right-of-way in summer 2027 and construction in spring 2032.

Sources

  1. NCDOT Proposes Maynard Road Improvements in Wake County (Oct. 5, 2026: grade separation at N.E. Maynard Road near E. Chatham Street in Cary; public meeting 4-7 p.m. Oct. 6 at First Cary United Methodist Church, 117 S. Academy Street; comments by Oct. 27 by calling 984-205-6615, project code 7714; emailing maynardroad-gradeseparation@publicinput.com; or mailing Mathew Potter, P.E., NCDOT Rail Division, 1 S. Wilmington Street, Raleigh, N.C. 27699)

    Official sourcePublished by N.C. Department of Transportation · Checked Oct 22, 2026, 8:10 PM

  2. P-5718 N.E. Maynard Road Grade Separation (NCDOT PublicInput: NCRR / Norfolk Southern H-Line and CSX S-Line; Design Concept 1 underpass and southward Chatham Street realignment; $37.3 million property, $46.5 million construction and utilities, $83.8 million total; right-of-way summer 2027; construction spring 2032; funded for right-of-way and construction; hold May 2020, restart June 2023; Sealed Corridor Program; comments before Oct. 27, 2026; email MaynardRoad-GradeSeparation@publicinput.com; phone 984-205-6615, code 7714; temporary closure of the current crossing segment; no posted count of relocations)

    Official sourcePublished by N.C. Department of Transportation · Checked Oct 22, 2026, 8:10 PM

  3. Maynard Road railroad underpass in Cary: comments due Oct. 27 (Cary Daily, Oct. 12, 2026: independently summarized the NCDOT release and project page; Oct. 27 deadline; $83.8 million table; summer 2027 right-of-way; spring 2032 construction; Oct. 6 meeting already held)

    Published by Cary Daily · Checked Oct 22, 2026, 8:10 PM

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