The Town of Carrboro alerted its residents to some work beginning on Jones Ferry Road that will lead to minor traffic delays in the coming weeks — but could also result in a new bike lane later this year.

The local government said surveying work along Jones Ferry Road near North Carolina Highway 54 began in the last week, with the goal of modifying two traffic islands in the road to be skinnier. It’s part of an ongoing project to add a westbound bicycle lane along the popular road, with the state Department of Transportation already approving the lane from Davie Lane to the entrance of the Willow Creek shopping center. As NCDOT prepares to resurface and restripe Jones Ferry Road this summer, space will need to be made in the westbound lanes to accommodate a new bike lane — and cutting down the width of the traffic islands will help achieve that, according to town documents.

A shot of the traffic islands in the middle of Jones Ferry Road in Carrboro. The medians are near Alabama Avenue, to the right in the photo, and the NC Highway 54 bridge can be seen in the distance. Carrboro’s eastbound protected bike lanes can also be seen on the left. (Photo via Google Maps.)

In its release from Tuesday, the Town of Carrboro said after surveying, construction on the islands is expected to begin on Thursday, February 15 and the project will finish around May 1. Those driving in the area might experience delays as the road work requires times of one-way traffic.

The bicycle lane is part of the Carrboro Bike Plan, and was listed as one of five priority projects in the update approved in 2020. Jones Ferry Road saw a protected bike lane installed on its eastbound lanes in 2021, part of a pilot project the town launched to test the maintenance and feasibility of bike lanes along similar, well-traveled roads. The eastbound lane runs from the NC 54 off-ramps to Barnes Street — about a quarter-mile longer than the planned westbound lane would run. The bike plan says such protected lanes are meant to improve connectivity from the Willow Creek Shopping Center, recreation spaces like University Lake west of NC54, and downtown Carrboro further east.

Next steps for the westbound Jones Ferry Road bicycle and wider repaving of the road includes preparing traffic signal plans for the NCDOT and pavement marking places for the resurfacing once the center medians are updated. Resurfacing by the state transportation department will ultimately be the entire stretch of Jones Ferry Road from East Main Street to Old Fayetteville Road.

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