With repaving finished along the main downtown roads in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, the town governments say the next step of painting road markings has begun.
Town officials said the North Carolina Department of Transportation submitted its pavement marking schedule for the West Franklin Street and East Main Street repaving project to Chapel Hill last week. According to the schedule, the contractor began permanent pavement markings on Sunday night, July 31. Work will continue nightly through Friday, August 12.
During that time, parking could potentially be “intermittently” closed off, according to the town, though the contractor has been instructed to minimize any closures or disruptions.
The repaving project got underway in late April of this year, with more extensive work beginning just after UNC’s graduation weekend in early May. That work included the removal of bollards on extended sidewalks, which Chapel Hill installed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to allow for more outdoor seating and protection of pedestrians.
“We found that during the pandemic when we had the expanded sidewalks — which we want to put back — we didn’t need two lanes going each way,” Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger told 97.9 The Hill on Thursday. “It slowed the cars down… look for good changes to come.”
Following that step, the actual repaving of the downtown roads got underway. The Town of Chapel Hill and a state contractor split the workload, which was completed in late July.
One of the project’s main goals is lane reallocation on West Franklin and East Main Streets in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. The new design of the streets will include new bike lanes, with on-street parking separating the bike lanes from traffic. Hemminger said, however, new developments in the project may mean the bike lanes will not be curb-running despite initial plans for that design.
“We’re still kind of gauging that right now,” she said. “[The North Carolina Department of Transportation] only allows a certain way [of painting bike lanes] at this point in time. So we’re gonna have to live with what they put out there right now, and we’re gonna gauge how well it works and then see if we’re keeping it that way.”
Carrboro Mayor Damon Seils told 97.9 The Hill good progress had been made on his town’s portion of the street, while also noting additional traffic signal reprogramming work remained to be done.
“That one’s more on the Carrboro town staff side of things,” he said. “But it should all be done this summer, preferably before classes start up again on [UNC’s] campus.”
UNC’s first day of classes is scheduled for Monday, August 15 — three days after NCDOT’s projected completion date for pavement marking.
Featured image via Town of Chapel Hill
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.
Related Stories
‹
Elmo's Diner in Carrboro Latest Local Restaurant to Permanently CloseA longtime favorite of the Carrboro community will not be reopening. Elmo’s Diner in Carrboro shared a Facebook post with the community Friday afternoon announcing its ownership team has decided to permanently close. While the message said rumors of a sale of the restaurant were not true, the toll caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic […]
Carrboro Firefighters Respond to Smoke, Flames at Main Street Auto ShopA fire at a Carrboro auto body shop led to a response from the Carrboro Fire Department on Friday morning. An eyewitness alerted Chapelboro to a fire in Carrboro around 7:45 a.m., with first responders redirecting traffic to avoid East Main Street between West Rosemary and West Franklin Street. Firefighters, including a ladder truck, were […]
New Pizza Restaurant Opens in Carrboro; Sports Bar Holds Grand Opening in Chapel HillA pair of restaurants debuted in Chapel Hill and Carrboro over the weekend. Autostrada Pizza & Panini welcomed its first customers on Friday at Carr Mill Mall. The restaurant, modeled after an auto grill one would find along an Italian highway, is in the mall space previously occupied by Pizza Factory. The menu features a […]
Carrboro Hears Update on Reimagining E. Weaver Street, Redesigning Traffic PatternsAt its last meeting before the summer break, the Carrboro Town Council heard an update on the reimagining of East Weaver Street.
Raleigh Sports Bar is Set to Open Carrboro LocationA Triangle business expanding to Carrboro is preparing to welcome customers this weekend. Bru’s Public House, a sports bar located on Wade Park Boulevard in Raleigh, is preparing to open its Carrboro location at 370 E. Main Street #110 on Saturday. The business announced its plans for expansion in November and shared the opening day […]
Chapel Hill Home Bakery Prepares for Expansion Into West Weaver Street SpaceEven Dough Bakery recently announced its purchase of 203 West Weaver Street in Carrboro — the former space of Mosaic Tapas Bistro & Wine Bar.
Carrboro's The Cheese Shop Announces Expansion to New LocationThe Cheese Shop, a Carrboro-based business selling “exceptional and rare local, domestic and imported small batch cheeses,” is expanding to a new location, which will open in the summer of 2024. The shop’s owners and co-founders, Michelle and Stevie Lee Webb, announced the news in a release on Wednesday. The shop’s new location will be […]
TABLE Reaches Fundraising Goal, Announces Timeline to Move Into New Carrboro SpaceAfter months of fundraising to complete a move, the local hunger relief nonprofit TABLE announced on Thursday that it has reached its goal. A message from the organization’s leadership said its Room to Grow Capital Campaign is officially finished, having raised $3.25 million to complete the purchase of 311 East Main Street and be debt-free. […]
Carrboro's Mosaic Tapas Bistro & Wine Bar Announces ClosureThe Carrboro business scene lost one of its mainstay restaurants last week, as Mosaic Tapas Bistro & Wine Bar permanently closed its doors. The West Weaver Street restaurant and café known for French cuisine and a variety of share-able plates shared a post on its social media Thursday, January 18 saying it would not re-open. […]
Road Painting Starts on West Franklin, East Main Streets After RepavingWith repaving finished along the main downtown roads in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, the town governments say the next step of painting road markings has begun. Town officials said the North Carolina Department of Transportation submitted its pavement marking schedule for the West Franklin Street and East Main Street repaving project to Chapel Hill last […]
›
