A NCDOT meeting planned for last week in Chapel Hill was postponed until January 2019.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the planned widening of Interstate 40 between the split with I-85 near Hillsborough and the Durham County line, which Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger says is necessary, but wants to make sure it’s done right.

“We don’t want just one plan, we want options,” says Hemminger. “So we’re hoping that when they come back they will show us some different options on that too, and our staff now has time to work with them a little bit more than just ‘hey we’re coming and showing you what we want to do’. The plan wasn’t the optimal plan for our community, I’ll just say that.”

As Hemminger points out, the purpose of these DOT meetings is for the town to offer feedback on their plans, not necessarily to dictate the plan.

Many residents are concerned that planned construction on the N.C. 86 exit along with several other interchanges on that stretch of the highway could impact neighborhoods along the road.

“This new plan cuts right through an existing neighborhood,” says Hemminger. “That neighborhood happens to be on a community well system and DOT was not aware of that. It looks like it’s in the Chapel Hill limits and in the OWASA and it’s not, so there are some issues with that. It landlocks some properties, it really diverts traffic in an interesting way and it comes out to an already failing intersection, so we weren’t sure what the advantages were.”

Maps of the proposed plan are available on the NCDOT public meetings website.

Related Stories
‹
NCDOT to Begin Resurfacing Highway 86 June 1; Overnight Delays Expected
The North Carolina Department of Transportation is scheduled to begin resurfacing a part of North Carolina Highway 86 in Chapel Hill Monday, June 1. The work will take place between the intersections with Estes Drive and Franklin Street, through the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard/South Columbia Street corridor. In a release, the Town of Chapel […]
I-40 Off-Ramp in Orange County Set for Overnight Closures, Concrete Removal
The North Carolina Department of Transportation announced Monday it will begin conducting nightly closures of the west-bound off-ramp from I-40 to North Carolina Highway 86.
Bridge Repairs Set to Close Millhouse Road in Orange County for 3 Weeks
Contractors with the North Carolina Department of Transportation are set to close a section of Millhouse Road in Orange County for three weeks. According to a release from NCDOT, Millhouse Road will be closed from its intersection with New Jericho Road to the cell tower driveway to allow crews to safely conduct bridge repair work. […]
NCDOT Installing Pedestrian Infrastructure at 3 N.C. Highway 54 Intersections
The North Carolina Department of Transportation will partner with the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro to install pedestrian and bicyclist improvements at three intersections along North Carolina Highway 54. NCDOT will begin work Monday, Feb. 2 to install crosswalks with traffic signals at the highway’s intersections with: The Kingswood Apartments complex in Chapel Hill […]
New Chapel Hill Crosswalk Under Construction at Site of Past Pedestrian Collisions
The Town of Chapel Hill and North Carolina Department of Transportation partnered to add a crosswalk, pedestrian island and RRFBs (rectangular rapid flashing beacons) to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
New Chapel Hill Stop Added to NCDOT Intercity Bus Service
The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s intercity bus service is adding a new stop in Chapel Hill. Buses will pick up passengers at the Eubanks Park and Ride Lot in Chapel Hill four times a day. The lot is located at 2000 Eubanks Road in the Carraway Village mixed-use development. The intercity service is operated […]
Overnight Closures Set for Orange County I-40 Ramp; Crews Prepare for Traffic Shift
Ahead of a traffic shift in the heart of the I-40 widening project in Orange County, construction and road crews are set to close an on-ramp.
Work on I-40 Widening Project Set to Close Lanes, Exit Ramps Overnight in Hillsborough
The ongoing work to widen I-40 in Orange County is set to disrupt overnight traffic patterns for the rest of the week, according to NCDOT.
NCDOT: I-40 Widening Project to Shut Down Highway Connector
The long-term I-40 widening project in Orange County will shut down an on-ramp for approximately three months.
NCDOT: Overnight Bridge Demolition for I-40 Widening Project Will Close Old NC 86
A old bridge of I-40 in Hillsborough is set to be demolished as the state Department of Transportation continues widening in Orange County.
›