NC 54 Corridor Study Presented to Carrboro’s Board of Aldermen

Carrboro’s Board of Aldermen recently heard a presentation about a study done on the NC 54 West Corridor between Carrboro and Graham.

The study, which was funded by the local Metropolitan Planning Organization, focused on the stretch of NC 54 starting in Graham and moving east to Carrboro’s West Main Street. It stemmed from a 2015 proposal to widen the two-lane corridor to a four-lane, median-divided road. A previous study had been completed and presented, but found it did not sufficiently answer the questions had about potentially widening the highway.

Don Bryson, a representative of the transportation and land use firm who conducted the study, shared some of the results with the board.

“We found that the crash rate in this corridor is above state average for this type of facility,” he said. “[It’s caused by] a lot of turning, left turns on and off roads, at driveways and intersections.”

While the implementation of some traffic signals along the highway have alleviated some of this issue, the lack of proper passing lanes also contributes to these crashes.

“And that’s mainly because there aren’t a lot of safe places to pass,” said Bryson. “As the volumes increase over time, that becomes more and more of a problem.”

The board’s concerns, however, were that the traffic results shown do not indicate enough growth to affect Carrboro and justify building space for more automobiles, which is something the town government is aiming to curb. The study found about 12 percent of traffic on West Main Street enters and exits using NC 54 along the studied stretch.

Council member Randee Haven-O’Donnell shared her concerns about the potential of widening the highway.

“I do think it would make great sense to run bike lanes on both sides from here to Graham,” she said. “But in terms of expanding [the highway] to four lanes with a median in the middle, I just think that it’s an archaic way of looking at the direction we want to go with.”

In the resolution passed acknowledging they had received the presentation, the board added a note in unanimous opposition to any widening of the highway.

The NC 54 Corridor Study is expected to be presented to Orange County representatives in the coming weeks. Carrboro residents and others will have an opportunity to learn more about the study and share their thoughts at a community meeting on October 24 at Town Hall from 6-8 p.m.

‹

Seminar Aims To Help Businesses In Flood Recovery Efforts

“For recovery, we were able to get people connected with the right resources.."

On Air Today: Forum on The Hill: The Aftermath of Chantal, with Jess Anderson, Delores Bailey, and Aaron Nelson

Aaron welcomes three local leaders to discuss Tropical Depression Chantal and how our community can respond, now and in the future.

South Greensboro Street in Carrboro Reopens After Downed Power Line

UPDATE: The Town of Carrboro said South Greensboro Street reopened to traffic at 12:20 p.m. on Monday. An alert said, unrelated to the downed power lines, construction in the area is causing traffic to be reduced to one lane. Flaggers are directing traffic and drivers are encouraged to use caution in the area, according to […]

Chapel Hill and Carrboro Homes Earns Statewide Design Awards

A pair of homes, one in Chatham County and another in Carrboro, recently earned statewide recognition for their modernist designs. NC Modernist, which is a nonprofit and website based in Durham, named the Domeck Residence design by ThoughtCraft Architects as first place winner of the George Matsumoto Prize. The annual jury award is a top […]

Carrboro Shares Latest Designs For South Greensboro Street Sidewalk Project

The Carrboro Town Council recently held a public hearing on the latest updates of the South Greensboro Street Sidewalk project. The proposed designs for the project spans roughly from Public Works to Carr Street.

Towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill Honor 50 Years of Cat's Cradle

The Carrboro Board of Aldermen’s chambers were crowded with local musicians and members of the local music community to see the board pass a joint resolution with the Town of Chapel Hill to honor and celebrate the music venue Cat’s Cradle last week. The resolution declared 2019 the ‘Year of the Cradle,’ an idea brought […]

Carrboro Board of Aldermen Changes Title to Town Council

Carrboro’s Board of Aldermen passed a resolution to change its title to Town Council at its meeting on Tuesday November 19.*** After being known as the Board of Aldermen for 50 years, the elected officials for Carrboro’s governing board are slated to change its name at their Tuesday meeting to a more inclusive title. […]

The ArtsCenter Holding Carrboro Community Meetings About Potential Move

The ArtsCenter has been in the heart of Carrboro since its founding in 1974. It was housed in the same building as Armadillo Grill and then Carr Mill Mall before settling in the 300 building on East Main Street, where it’s been since the mid-1980s. As the art education and entertainment non-profit prepares to move […]

Carrboro Board of Aldermen Vote to Move Ahead Lloyd Farm Development

The Carrboro Board of Aldermen recently heard updates on the development planned for the Lloyd Farm property and approved a conditional use permit for the initial phase of construction. The developers are preparing to begin work on Phase 1 of transforming the 35-acre plot into the Shops at Lloyds Farm, located off Fayettville Road and […]

NC 54 Corridor Study Presented to Carrboro's Board of Aldermen

Carrboro’s Board of Aldermen recently heard a presentation about a study done on the NC 54 West Corridor between Carrboro and Graham. The study, which was funded by the local Metropolitan Planning Organization, focused on the stretch of NC 54 starting in Graham and moving east to Carrboro’s West Main Street. It stemmed from a […]

›