The Research Triangle Park

The future of great ideas

Park Updates

The Durham-Wake Research and Production Service District is the special tax district for RTP. Property tax revenue collected through the Service District is used to provide infrastructure such as the pedestrian trails, the mountain bike trails, recreation facilities (softball fields, volleyball courts), roadside landscaping, etc. All projects described below are funded by the Service District unless otherwise noted.

Update 4.3.12

  • The major landscaping upgrades for Davis Drive are well underway, with most of the trees and shrubs having now been planted. Seeding and final landscaping will occur as the weather continues to warm. The project creates a more consistent aesthetic for Davis Drive between the southern RTP boundary and the I-40 interchange.
  • A contract has been awarded for 3 new sand volleyball courts adjacent to the Mountain Bike Parking Lot on Louis Stephens Drive. Construction of the courts should occur in the next 2 months.
  • The Jogging Trail section that extends the Triangle Drive trail to NC 54 is now complete. This gives companies along Triangle Drive a pedestrian connection to the trail network extending throughout RTP.
  • The mast arm street signs have now been installed at intersections around RTP. They are mounted on traffic light poles and bear street names that match the design of other new RTP signage.
  • Gateway monument signs, marking the major roadway entrances to RTP, will be installed later this spring. There are 5 gateway signs and each will include LED lighting. 

Update 1.12.12

  • Design work is being finalized for an expansion of the Mountain Biking trails in southern RTP, The Phase 2 trails will add several miles to the current 2.25-mile system. Construction is expected during the winter, with completion in the spring.
  • Design work is also underway for 3 new sand volleyball courts, adjacent to the new Mountain Bike Parking Lot on Louis Stephens Drive. The courts should be ready to use later in the spring.
  • The new Jogging Trail section along Triangle Drive will soon be extended to connect to the existing trail at NC 54. The contract has been awarded, and completion is anticipated by the end of March. The extension will be approximately 1/8 mile.
  • The resurfacing project for the RTP Jogging Trails is now complete.  The project involved repaving and crosswalk improvements for a 6.3-mile loop of existing trail. The loop follows TW Alexander Drive, Cornwallis Road, Davis Drive and NC 54.
  • Security cameras are being installed at the parking lot adjacent to Softball Fields 1 and 2, near RTI’s campus.
  • Triangle Parkway, NC’s first modern toll road, is now open. The 3.4-mile stretch of highway connects I-40 to NC 540 through RTP, with exits at Davis Drive and Hopson Road. More information on toll rates and transponder purchases can be found at https://www.myncquickpass.com/  [Project of the NC Turnpike Authority]


Update 10.11.11

  • The resurfacing project for the RTP Jogging Trails is now underway. During the next month, a 6.3-mile loop of existing trail will be repaired and repaved. The loop follows TW Alexander Drive, Cornwallis Road, Davis Drive and NC 54. Other improvements in the scope of the project include crosswalks at intersections and driveways.
  • A new Jogging Trail section is now open along Triangle Drive. This section will soon be connected to the trail along NC 54.
  • The Mountain Bike Trail parking lot is now open for trail users in southern RTP. The parking lot is located on the west side of Louis Stephens Drive, between Kit Creek Road and Little Drive.
  • Design work continues on new Jogging Trails in the southern portion of RTP. The new trail along NC 54 from BD Technologies to Miami Boulevard is currently in the permitting stage.
  • A major landscaping project is planned for Davis Drive, from the southern RTP boundary to the I-40 interchange. Plantings include a mix of trees, shrubs and groundcovers which will provide a more coordinated aesthetic for the 4.4-mile segment of Davis Drive. Plant installation is scheduled for Fall 2011 through early Spring 2012.
  • RTP’s gateway monument signs are currently in the manufacturing stage. Installation of the signs at major entrances into the Park will follow. New street name signs will also be installed on the mast arms overhanging intersections.
  • Construction continues on schedule for Triangle Parkway, NC’s first toll road. The 3.4-mile stretch of highway connecting I-40 to NC 540 through RTP is expected to open in December. Tolls will be collected starting in early January using NC Quick Pass. The NC Quick Pass Customer Service Center is now open at 200 Sorrell Grove Church Road, Morrisville. Transponders can be purchased there or through https://www.myncquickpass.com/  [Project of the NC Turnpike Authority]

Update 4.29.11

  • A major resurfacing project will affect the existing trails on Cornwallis Road from Davis Drive westward to the RTP boundary, on T.W. Alexander Drive from Cornwallis Rd south to NC 54; along Davis Drive from Cornwallis Road to just south of NC 54 and along NC 54 from Davis Drive westward to the RTP boundary.  The project will repair crack and deteriorating surfaces, provide a new asphalt surface, and add high visibility crosswalks at intersections and driveways.   Construction will be complete over the summer.
  • In the near future, RTP will begin construction of a 22 car, gravel parking lot near the existing mountain bike trails on Louis Stephens Drive.
  • Design is well underway for two new pedestrian trails: one on NC 54 from BD Technologies eastward to the RTP boundary near Miami Blvd.  The second is in the southern portion of RTP along Kit Creek Road from Davis Drive eastward to the RTP boundary and along Davis Drive and Little Drive to complete the trail on Little Drive and extend southward on Davis Drive from Little Drive to the RTP boundary.
  • Design will begin shortly on an expansion of the mountain bike trails now that the construction of Little Drive Extension is complete.