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Triangle Local

Fayetteville, Cumberland County

Fayetteville: Locks Creek Road closed for $999,135 culvert and flood work

The city set Oct. 19 as the start and will keep parts of the street shut. A state disaster-mitigation grant pays for a larger culvert and a higher entrance. Officials say flooding can still happen.

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

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published

The Market House on Hay Street in downtown Fayetteville

File photo: Epicjeff (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • The City of Fayetteville, in an Oct. 14, 2026, notice, said construction to improve stormwater drainage and utilities in the Locks Creek Road area was scheduled to begin Oct. 19.Confirmed by City of Fayetteville, Oct. 14, 2026
  • That notice said the work would focus on the neighborhood's primary access point. Crews are to replace the existing drainage culvert with a larger concrete structure and raise the roadway at the entrance.Confirmed by City of Fayetteville, Oct. 14, 2026
  • The same notice said the project also includes replacing about 70 feet of water line, including valves and related connections, and replacing an existing sewer connection with about 105 feet of new sewer pipe. Crews are to repair or replace pavement and concrete affected by the work and resurface Locks Creek Road and portions of Carriage Street.Confirmed by City of Fayetteville, Oct. 14, 2026
  • Portions of Locks Creek Road will be closed for the duration of construction. Residents should use Carriage Street to L.A. Dunham Road as the primary route in and out. The city said access for emergency responders and other necessary traffic will be coordinated.Confirmed by City of Fayetteville, Oct. 14, 2026
  • The city said the project addresses flooding at the neighborhood entrance. It is not designed to eliminate flooding caused by Locks Creek, remove homes or other structures from flood-hazard areas, or significantly lower water levels in the surrounding area. Flooding may still occur during significant storms.Confirmed by City of Fayetteville, Oct. 14, 2026
  • The city said it was awarded a $999,135 Disaster Mitigation Grant through the North Carolina Department of Public Safety's Emergency Management Disaster Relief and Mitigation Fund.Confirmed by City of Fayetteville, Oct. 14, 2026; City of Fayetteville, March 10, 2026
  • Gov. Josh Stein's March 6, 2026, list of Disaster Relief and Mitigation Fund grants included "City of Fayetteville – Locks Creek Road and Culvert Flood Mitigation ($999,135)."Confirmed by Office of the Governor, March 6, 2026
  • The city's March 10, 2026, release named the work the Locks Creek Roadway and Culvert Flood Mitigation Project and said it includes replacing the existing culvert and raising low points on the street so the road can stay open for residents and emergency responders during storms.Confirmed by City of Fayetteville, March 10, 2026
  • City bid documents issued March 3, 2026, for Locks Creek Drainage Improvements (COF1516989) described installation of a 5.75-foot-high by 14-foot-wide reinforced-concrete box culvert and headwalls, about 70 linear feet of 8-inch ductile-iron water line, about 105 linear feet of 4-inch PVC sanitary-sewer lateral, and an asphalt overlay of Locks Creek Road and portions of Carriage Street.Confirmed by City of Fayetteville invitation to bid, March 3, 2026
  • CBS 17, writing Tuesday night, Oct. 20, said construction started Monday. The city's Oct. 14 notice had already set Oct. 19 as the start. We have not seen a later city post that says crews are on site.Confirmed by CBS 17, Oct. 20, 2026; City of Fayetteville, Oct. 14, 2026

Still unknown

  • A posted completion date. The March bid papers listed an expected duration of 240 days; the Oct. 14 notice does not repeat that figure
  • The contractor's name on the awarded contract
  • Hour-by-hour flagger and lane patterns while the street is shut

What this means for you

Roads
Portions of Locks Creek Road are closed for construction. The city directs drivers to Carriage Street and L.A. Dunham Road. Allow extra time and follow posted signs.

Instructions from City of Fayetteville

This site is not the City of Fayetteville. For the project, the detour and later date changes, use the city's Oct. 14 notice. Follow posted signs in the work zone. This site is not an emergency service. If someone is in danger, call 911.

What happened

In Fayetteville, parts of Locks Creek Road are to stay shut while contractors replace a culvert and raise the way into the neighborhood.

The city, in an Oct. 14 notice, set Monday, Oct. 19, as the start. CBS 17, writing Tuesday night, said work had begun. We have not seen a later municipal post that says crews are on site.

A $999,135 Disaster Mitigation Grant from the N.C. Department of Public Safety's Emergency Management Disaster Relief and Mitigation Fund is paying for the job. Gov. Josh Stein's March 6 list used that same dollar figure. The city's March 10 release called the work the Locks Creek Roadway and Culvert Flood Mitigation Project.

What is being built

Officials said crews will swap the existing drain for a larger concrete box and lift the pavement at the main entrance, so people who live there and rescue units can get through when water rises. That same post also lists about 70 feet of water line, with valves and connections, and about 105 feet of new sewer pipe in place of the current tie-in. Damaged pavement and concrete are to be repaired. The city said it will resurface that street and parts of Carriage Street.

March bid papers described a 5.75-foot-high by 14-foot-wide reinforced-concrete box culvert. That is the bid description, not a later as-built drawing.

What this will not do

Officials were blunt about the limits. The work is aimed at the entrance. It is not meant to stop high water from the creek, take houses out of flood-hazard zones, or drop levels across the area. A hard storm can still flood the streets inside.

How to get in and out

Portions of the road stay closed for the whole job. Residents are told to use Carriage Street to L.A. Dunham Road as the main way around. Allow extra time and watch the work zone. City staff said they will coordinate access for ambulances and other needed traffic.

Officials have not posted an end date. The March bid listed an expected duration of 240 days. That figure is not in the later construction post.

This site is not the City of Fayetteville. For the project and the detour, use the city's construction post. Follow posted signs. If someone is in danger, call 911.

Photos

Text-only. No city or station photos are used here.

Why it matters

People who live off Locks Creek Road need the city's detour and a clear line on what the grant will and will not change. This is an entrance and culvert job, not a creek-wide flood fix.

Updates

  1. Oct 20, 2026, 10:00 PM

    The city scheduled Locks Creek drainage and utility work to begin Oct. 19, funded by a $999,135 state grant. CBS 17 said crews started Monday. Portions of the street stay closed; the posted detour is Carriage Street to L.A. Dunham Road.

Sources

  1. City begins Locks Creek Road drainage and utility improvements Oct. 19 (City of Fayetteville, Oct. 14, 2026: construction scheduled to begin Oct. 19; larger concrete culvert; raise the roadway at the entrance; about 70 feet of water line and about 105 feet of new sewer pipe; resurface Locks Creek Road and portions of Carriage Street; not designed to eliminate creek flooding or remove homes from flood-hazard areas; portions of the street closed; detour via Carriage Street to L.A. Dunham Road; $999,135 Disaster Mitigation Grant through N.C. Emergency Management)

    Official sourcePublished by City of Fayetteville · Checked Oct 20, 2026, 10:00 PM

  2. City awarded grant to improve infrastructure on Locks Creek Road (City of Fayetteville, March 10, 2026: $999,135 Emergency Management Disaster Relief and Mitigation Fund grant; Locks Creek Roadway and Culvert Flood Mitigation Project; replace the existing culvert and raise low points)

    Official sourcePublished by City of Fayetteville · Checked Oct 20, 2026, 10:00 PM

  3. Governor Stein Announces $40 Million for Disaster Relief and Mitigation, Volunteer Organizations (March 6, 2026: City of Fayetteville – Locks Creek Road and Culvert Flood Mitigation, $999,135)

    Official sourcePublished by Office of the North Carolina Governor · Checked Oct 20, 2026, 10:00 PM

  4. Invitation to Bid, Locks Creek Drainage Improvements, COF1516989 (City of Fayetteville, issued March 3, 2026: 5.75-foot-high by 14-foot-wide reinforced-concrete box culvert; about 70 LF of 8-inch ductile-iron water line; about 105 LF of 4-inch PVC sanitary-sewer lateral; overlay of Locks Creek Road and portions of Carriage Street; expected duration 240 days)

    Official sourcePublished by City of Fayetteville · Checked Oct 20, 2026, 10:00 PM

  5. Fayetteville starts nearly $1 million flood mitigation project at Locks Creek neighborhood (CBS 17, Oct. 20, 2026: construction started Monday; $999,135 grant; larger concrete culvert and raised roadway; about 70 feet of water line and about 105 feet of sewer pipe; will not eliminate flooding from the creek; detour via Carriage Street to L.A. Dunham Road)

    Published by CBS 17 · Checked Oct 20, 2026, 10:00 PM

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