High Point wins extension for long-delayed Triangle Lake Road project

High Point won a three-year extension this week to protect bond money for Triangle Lake Road, a long-delayed project that has been on the city’s radar for nearly two decades but still is not expected to break ground until 2028.

The approval matters because the city risked losing financing tied to the 2019 voter-approved bond package if it could not use the money within seven years. High Point voters backed $50 million in general obligation bonds in November 2019, including $22 million for streets and sidewalks projects such as Triangle Lake Road, Washington Street and Burton Avenue. The North Carolina Local Government Commission granted the city’s request to keep the Triangle Lake Road money available.

For drivers on the corridor, the delay has meant years of waiting with little visible relief. City materials describe Triangle Lake Road as an unimproved 1.2-mile segment that remains a two-lane, ribbon-paved roadway without turn lanes, curb and gutter, sidewalks or other amenities. The city says the road also has narrow, steep shoulders and vertical and horizontal alignment challenges, conditions officials say make the work a safety upgrade as much as a transportation project.

Greg Venable, the city’s transportation director, said the project is estimated to cost about $23 million, with roughly $12 million coming from the bond. High Point’s bond project page says $1,544,629 had already been spent or committed on Triangle Lake Road. The same page showed final design still underway, with right-of-way acquisition expected to begin in spring 2025, utility relocations in spring 2026 and construction in fall 2026, while FOX8 WGHP reported the city asked for the extension because construction was expected to start in 2028.

The city’s own project description lays out what residents have been waiting for: curb and gutter, sidewalks on both sides, bicycle lanes, enhanced transit stops, utility upgrades and two roundabouts at Hickory Chapel Road and Baker Road. That makes the extension less a fresh announcement than a way to keep a promised project alive while the paperwork, property acquisition and utility work continue to drag on.

High Point’s other 2019 street projects have moved faster. The Washington Street realignment was completed in August 2024, and Burton Avenue received notice to proceed on Jan. 6, 2025, from Yates Construction Co. For Triangle Lake Road, though, the latest approval only preserves the money and the promise. The visible improvements residents were sold in 2019 still appear to be years away.