The land is still covered in trees, but vehicles will soon be cruising down N.C. 540 through Apex.

"It's the first toll road in North Carolina so we're not sure what to expect," said Apex Planning Director Dianne Khin.

Construction will begin in September for this phase of the N.C. 540 corridor. Jim Stella with Apex Chamber of Commerce said this will allow for development that has been put on hold before the funds were approved last week.

"Now they can start moving forward. They know the timetable and they can start working on properties along the corridor," Stella said.

Stella said a lot of the development will be more businesses and less residential, which will increase tax revenue.

"It is still 81 percent residential and 19 percent commercial light industrial. We must get back to 60 percent to 40 percent," Stella said.

Khin said the new roadway will also ease traffic for residents.

"We feel as though it will pull a lot of commuter traffic off N.C. 55, which will be great for Apex because a lot of our local folks get caught in commuter traffic," Khin said.

Khin said construction will be completed in 2010.