Many of our readers and listeners have been asking us about the removal of some trees on Franklin Street.
So we asked Meg McGurk, Executive Director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership.
“It’s part of the streetscape improvements on the 100 block of East Franklin Street,” she says. “And this is part of the Downtown Streetscape Master Plan that the Town of Chapel Hill adopted in 2009.”
McGurk says some of these same improvements have already taken place on West Franklin Street, Rosemary Street, and some of those connecting roadways.
She adds that they are working on improving many aspects of the sidewalk areas on Franklin Street.
“There has been limbing up of a lot of the trees,” she says, “and now there are some trees that have been removed, some raised brick planters that have been removed.
“There will be sidewalks rebuilt. Also, there are going to be trees that are placed back that have metal grates.”
The metal grates will help level the sidewalks of Franklin Street.
McGurk says one more feature that was needed to complete the project was additional bike racks for the many residents in our community that choose the two-wheeled form of travel.
“As a bike rider, there can never be enough good places to actually lock up your bike where they’re supposed to be, instead of attached to signs or trees,” she says.
“The streetscape improvements that have happened, and are happening, have really wonderfully opened up the street.”
The majority of the demolition has taken place this week, which McGurk says was intended to correspond with spring break at UNC, when there would be less foot traffic.
“In the coming weeks, you’re going to see the rebuilding of the sidewalks, the installation of the bike racks, [and] the newspaper bins and trash cans being moved around,” she says.
A release about the project says work will go forward for an estimated five weeks, weather permitting. Sidewalk closures are not anticipated. There may be changes to bus stops. If that happens, officials say they will give advanced notice.
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