The site of some past pedestrian and vehicle collisions in Chapel Hill is getting a preventative upgrade to its infrastructure.
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, which is currently under construction. The pedestrian features are located between Taylor Street and Critz Drive, across the street from a BP gas station and convenience store.
Updating the infrastructure is part of the town government’s Vision Zero pledge and safety goals, which aim to “eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2031.” The stretch of MLK Boulevard is important to those, considering two pedestrians have died while crossing the street — one in Feb. 2018 and another in Dec. 2022. According to the town’s dashboard tracking reported pedestrian and bicycle collisions, four other incidents have happened around the stretch of road in recent years.
A photo of the new crosswalk and pedestrian island construction on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard as of Aug. 15, 2025. (Photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.)
“That has been a really dangerous area — we’ve had horrible, horrible accidents there and fatalities,” Chapel Hill Mayor Jess Anderson told 97.9 The Hill when discussing the updates. “The town’s Vision Zero safety team worked really closely with NCDOT engineers to test out multiple options for the crosswalk. As part of the project, we’re also filling a 150-foot gap in the sidewalk nearby, so that’s also a winner.
“Safety’s been an issue, a huge concern there for quite a while,” Anderson added, “so I’m really glad to have a new, safer way for people to cross and to navigate in that area.”
Chapel Hill has similarly added other crosswalks and RRFBs along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in recent years around the apartment complexes and intersections further south. That work, in addition to a new median on South Elliott Road installed in August, are examples of the town working to decrease risks for non-vehicle users, said Anderson.
“As this team continues to do its work,” the Chapel Hill mayor said, “you’re going to see more and more places where they’ve evaluated the data, seen where things are dangerous for [bicyclists and pedestrians], and they are putting in things that are not an incredibly expensive [options], but that can really make a big difference in safety for everybody.”
Presently, the North Carolina Department of Transportation said construction at the site is 85% complete with sign installation and pavement marking scheduled for this week. The entire crosswalk project is expected to be finished by the end of September.
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