The Town of Chapel Hill will begin assembly of a downtown project next week, which will provide pedestrians more room to walk along the town’s most popular street.

The town announced Friday its sidewalk extension to Franklin Street will begin to take shape starting on Monday. One lane of the street will be closed to motorists to allow pedestrians more space to physically distance while walking on the sidewalk. In addition, restaurants and businesses will have more space to move operations outdoors, which is important to limit indoor density and mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Foot traffic in the town is also expected to increase with UNC students slated to return to the community in August.

Chapel Hill’s Economic Development Director Dwight Bassett spoke with 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck about the project, which was approved by the town council in June. He said the initial work being done next week is bringing barriers and equipment onto Franklin Street that will close off a lane and shield pedestrians.

“Once [the equipment] gets in,” said Bassett, “we will do a test area to make sure we understand how we’re setting it up and what we’re doing. The week following that, we will complete the entire street. It’ll definitely be completed by August 10.”

The idea gained much interest from community members around town, which culminated in a petition garnering more than 1,000 signatures in support of the closure before the town council approved the measure.

All on-street parking, loading zones and other amenities will remain and just be pushed towards the center of the street, according to the Town of Chapel Hill. Curbside pickup parking spaces will be marked so motorists or passengers can quickly pick up food or retail items.

According to Friday’s release, the barriers and lane closure will be in place until at least mid-September. The project will be “regularly assessed” by the town for its use and safety. Community members with questions or feedback on the project are encouraged to email Chapel Hill at info@townofchapelhill.org.

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