Wake County road, park projects grapple with rising costs

Rising costs have forced Wake County leaders to pause two park projects. The planned Buffalo Creek Preserve and upgrades to Green Hills County Park are now on hold.
Posted 10/16/2025, 8:34:55 PM Updated 10/16/2025, 9:00:08 PM

WHEN WE COULD SEE IT'S COMING

UP. LOOK AT THAT. A LEANING,

TOO, MIKE.

>> NEW THIS HOUR, RISING COSTS

FORCE WAKE COUNTY LEADERS TO

PAUSE TO PARK PROJECTS THE

PLAN, BUFFALO CREEK PRESERVE

AND UPGRADES TO GREEN HILLS

COUNTY PARK ARE NOW ON HOLD

WRAL'S FLYNN. SNYDER REPORTS

ON THE BUDGET SHORTFALLS.

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ARE FACING

FOR SOME PROJECTS AS

CONSTRUCTION COSTS GO UP.

>> VOTERS APPROVED THIS FUNDING

FOR PARK RELATED PROJECTS BACK

IN 2018. NOW COUNTY LEADERS SAY

THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO

DO ON THE THINGS THEY HAD

INITIALLY HOPED FOR. YOU HATE

TO SEE NECESSARY CUT. FOLKS

WERE PROBABLY ATTACHED TO AND

EXPECTING SOME CLOSER TO THEIR

COMMUNITIES. BUT I UNDERSTAND

THE DIFFERENT PLACE THAT THEM

WE FIND OURSELVES AND

120 MILLION DOLLARS APPROVED

FOR PROJECTS IN THE 2018 PARK'S

POND WILL NOT GO AS FAR AS ONCE

THOUGHT LATER CITED RISING

COSTS IN POST PANDEMIC

CHALLENGES DURING A WORK

SESSION THIS WEEK, COUNTY

OFFICIALS DECIDED TO DELAY WORK

ON THE BUFFALO CREEK RESERVE

IN GREEN HILLS COUNTY PARK

UPGRADES TO KEEP OTHER FUN FACT

PROJECTS ON TRACK.

>> WADE COUNTY ISN'T THE ONLY

LOCAL GOVERNMENT DEALING WITH

CONSTRUCTION COST TROUBLES.

>> IN JULY RALLY, WE ARE

SCRAPPED PLANS TO WIDEN PARTS

OF 6 FORKS ROAD AND NORTH HILLS

SAYING THE PROJECT'S COSTS HAD

GROWN TOO HIGH SINCE INITIAL

PLANNING. DAVE SIMPSON WITH

THE CAROLINAS ASSOCIATED

GENERAL CONTRACTORS SAYS IT'S

SOMETHING HE'S SEEING

NATIONWIDE. THERE IS A TREND IN

THE COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION

INDUSTRY.

>> IN THE TRIAL AS WELL AS

THROUGHOUT THE NORTH CAROLINA'S

NATION THAT CONSTRUCTION

SPENDING HAS SLOWED SOMEWHAT.

>> AND PRIVATE CONSTRUCTION

IS THE CLIENT.

>> FUNDING FOR THE 2 DELAYED

PROJECTS COULD BE PUSHED TO A

FUTURE BOND REFERENDUM. IT'S

UNCLEAR, THOUGH, WHEN THAT WILL