Lake Wheeler Road closing for two years, expect a detour

Related road closed detour Part of Lake Wheeler Road will close (© WRAL) By Lance Wilhelm, WRAL Reporter Some Wake County commuters should expect a detour heading back to work after Labor Day. Lake Wheeler Rd. between Goode St. and Umstead Dr. will be closed for two years starting Tuesday. The busy commuter route heading into downtown Raleigh from I-40 is set to get new sidewalks, bike paths, roundabouts and stormwater infrastructure, according to a release from the City of Raleigh. Some small business owners are concerned about how the closure could affect their customer base. Judy Lee and her husband have rented a Lake Wheeler Road location for just about a year and a half. Together they run Willow House Coffee and Community. "Small businesses – we're all kind of a little nervous," Lee said. "Will customers still be able to get to us easily? How much will this really re-route traffic?" Lee says a lot of her customers stop in for coffee on their way to work or to drop off their kids at school. Being an owner of a relative-new business, she's worried about visibility and accessibility for her coffee shop. She also says, however, that the changes are necessary. Besides the two-year-long wait, she thinks the Lake Wheeler Rd. additions to make it safer for pedestrians will be good for her business and others in the long run. "We're also all very excited about it. We think this has been a long time need for Lake Wheeler," Lee said. "It's a little dangerous walking along here. It's going to be really beautiful in the end and help everybody." While construction is underway people going to or leaving from downtown will take a short detour along Maywood Ave. and Saunders St. Dix Park and the Farmers Market will still be accessible throughout Lake Wheeler's closure.