While the Town of Chapel Hill is preparing for a new public art project, the Town of Carrboro just put the finishing touches another.
Carrboro shared new artwork painted at the bend of Roberson Street near the Libba Cotten Bikeway, meant to accentuate the crosswalk and lighten up the area near The ArtsCenter. The piece was installed earlier in the week by public works employees and was designed in-house by Carrboro staff members, according to a release on Thursday. The local government listed a 2022 Bloomberg study about how asphalt murals at non-signalized intersections leads to consistent decreases in collisions or conflicts at pedestrian crossing and increases in drivers yielding — which fits within the town’s goal of making Carrboro “a safer and more inviting place to walk and bike.”
The projects become the latest colorful crosswalks in the community, as Chapel Hill has some of its own crosswalk art along intersections of Rosemary Street, Cameron Avenue, and Wilson Street.
The new street mural where Roberson Street meets the Libba Cotten Bikepath. (Photo via the Town of Carrboro.)
Public works crews work to paint new crosswalk art on the week of July 8, 2024. (Photo via the Town of Carrboro.)
Carrboro Mayor Barbara Foushee told 97.9 The Hill she thinks the idea and execution was “so amazing” in both its aesthetics and practicality for improving road safety.
“Sometimes, we’re just driving along and really are not thinking a whole lot about our surroundings — but this type of project grabs your attention and your response,” she said. “That’s the understanding I get reading about [the effects] and also just thinking about how a project of this type will impact our drivers, bikers and pedestrians.”
Meanwhile, the Town of Chapel Hill recently announced it is seeking artists to help brighten up the new parking deck that getting closer to the end of construction on East Rosemary Street. The Community Arts & Culture division of the town issued a call for applications to decorate the corner column of “The Porch,” which is the street-level part of the parking deck Chapel Hill plans to activate with programming and pop-up retail.
The column is about 370 square feet combined across its four faces, according to the town, and the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership — who is contracting the project in partnership with Community Arts & Culture — says the only stipulation around the artwork is that it should fit the contemporary design of the new parking deck. The artist or team selected for the mural will receive a $6,000 stipend and the goal is to begin installing the piece as early as September.
Construction at the new parking deck for 125 East Rosemary Street in Chapel Hill. The “Porch” column where a mural will be painted is the farthest right and is the biggest column of the street-level programming space. (Photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.)
The news of the public artwork comes as the 125 East Rosemary Deck is nearing completion, according to Chapel Hill Town Manager Chris Blue. The seven-story facility will provide about 1,100 parking spaces — most of which will be public — and is a critical step before the Wallace Deck on East Rosemary Street is demolished to make way for an office and wet-lab building by Grubb Properties.
“In early August, we will open the East Rosemary Street Parking Deck,” Blue told 97.9 The Hill in June. “It’s really looking good, it fits so nicely in with how that block is starting to redevelop and shape up. So, we’re very excited about that — it’s going to be a great compliment to UNC’s innovation hub right across the street, and it’s really starting to look like a finished product now.”
The application period for the parking deck “Porch” column project is open through 5 p.m. on Tuesday, July 30. Full details about requirements and the link to the application can be found here.
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