Chapel Hill Details New Intersection for MLK Boulevard, North Street; Work to Begin in January

Major changes are coming to a Chapel Hill intersection to improve pedestrian safety and connection to the town’s future parking deck, with work set to begin within the first week of 2024.

The Town of Chapel Hill shared a release with the community on December 21, saying the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and North Street will undergo a redesign that includes adding pedestrian crosswalks and a traffic signal. The intersection, which also marks the split of North Columbia Street from MLK Boulevard, will be squared up to create a more conventional foot-traffic pattern and sidewalks will be added to all four corners.

A overlay of the new intersection design for Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, North Columbia Street, and North Street in Chapel Hill. Work is expected to begin in early January 2023. (Photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.)

Beyond the new pedestrian infrastructure, the intersection changes are connected to Chapel Hill’s ongoing development of a parking deck on East Rosemary Street. North Street will function as an exit from the seven-story deck, which is expected to be completed in 2024. The town’s release also pointed to its goals of downtown revitalization, pedestrian improvements along the future North/South Bus Rapid Transit line, and strategic development efforts as reasons for the added features.

Chapel Hill said contractors will begin work on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard during the first week of January. The road is expected to remain open to traffic during the project, although lane closures and traffic delays “are possible at times.” North Columbia Street will be closed to all drivers at Carr Street, with the town requesting vehicles to detour down Stephens Street. North Columbia Street is expected to stay open for foot traffic for most of the intersection’s work.

The town’s release asked all drivers and community members to slow down and be aware of the road work when moving through the intersection. Further updates on the project will be shared if the development plan changes.

According to Chapel Hill, the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and North Street intersection project is expected to be completed in the late spring.

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