The Town of Chapel Hill’s ability to take ownership of Franklin Street is once again at the forefront of local leader’s minds as safety concerns arise and extended sidewalks are removed.
Although Franklin Street is the centerpiece of downtown Chapel Hill, the local government doesn’t control the road. In recent months, however, the town has started conversations with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) about seeking ownership of the portion of the road spanning from Henderson Street to Merritt Mill Road.
At the Chapel Hill Town Council’s work session last week, discussions on Franklin Street ownership were at the top of the agenda.
Matt Gladdek, the Executive Director for the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, told 97.9 The Hill that determining who has control of the historic downtown street is a conversation that has been ongoing for years.
“The issue is that NCDOT controls the street, and NCDOT controls a lot of North Carolina streets, and their main responsibility is to make sure traffic flows through it,” Gladdek said. “But from a town perspective, what Franklin Street is to the community is a lot more complicated than just a through-way.”
Gladdek said the town wants to control the street not just for maximum traffic capacity, but to make sure it’s serving the needs of the community and its businesses.
“Making sure it’s safe and it’s as walkable as possible,” Gladdek said. “And that might slow down traffic a little bit but that’s because Franklin Street should be a place you go to and not through.”
If the town does take control, it would be responsible for costs of repaving and repairs as well as stormwater control. Currently, the local government must ask the NCDOT for approval to do things like close the street temporarily, install temporary art or permanent markers on the sidewalks, or expand sidewalk dining.
While the extended sidewalks on East Franklin Street were removed last week due to traffic concerns surrounding the ongoing East Rosemary Street Redevelopment Project, the ones on West Franklin Street are set remain until May 2022 under current NCDOT permissions.
The extended sidewalks on East Franklin Street were removed last week, opening the busy downtown road back up to two lanes.
Gladdek said these sidewalks have been a great addition to downtown, especially in encouraging patrons to frequent local businesses during the pandemic.
“One of the things that has been super, super striking,” Gladdek said, “is just how much more vibrant and alive downtown has felt as you’ve been able to walk through and see people outside.
“And even though we’ve had to protect those outdoor areas with truly ugly orange and white construction barriers, it still has shown what the possibility of a truly walkable and vibrant downtown Franklin Street could be like again.”
Discussions of safety are also a big factor as the town weighs the pros and cons of taking ownership over the high-traffic street. These discussions have taken a front seat following three recent pedestrian crashes along another popular Chapel Hill street, Estes Drive, within the last month.
“One of the things we’ve looked at in the past is wanting to put planters in the street to decrease the space that people have to cross through,” Gladdek said. “That’s something that has to get vetted through the NCDOT and hasn’t been allowed in that way.”
If the street was town-owned, it would still have to meet federal guidelines for safety, however, Gladdek said it would give local leadership a lot more flexibility.
The Town of Chapel Hill isn’t the only local government thinking about taking ownership of its downtown roads. Carrboro Mayor Damon Seils said joining in on Chapel Hill’s discussion is pertinent as Franklin Street flows directly into Carrboro.
“I know that our council members are interested in that discussion,” Seils said. “I just spoke with our town manager about exploring what our options might be there.
“There are some costs involved in that, but it has prompted some interest again about doing something similar with Main Street and perhaps other NCDOT roads in Carrboro.”
Other nearby governments have also been trying their hand at road ownership. Hillsborough Street near N.C. State recently transferred ownership from the NCDOT to local control during the pandemic.
“While this is a long process,” Gladdek said, “it definitely can happen. Our interest in putting the petition forward is to have local control start after NCDOT repaves this year.”
Lead photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.
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