UPDATE: Chapel Hill town staff alerted residents the week of May 9 will not be the start of heavy resurfacing by state contractors, like initially planned. Minor sidewalk repairs are expected to take place that week before town crews will remove the temporary sidewalk barriers the week of May 16.

If you’re planning to walk or drive downtown, expect some disruptions this week as crews work on West Franklin Street.

Beginning Monday, April 25, crews will be rebuilding a traffic median on West Franklin between Graham Street and Merritt Mill Road. Some lanes may be closed during the day to allow the work to proceed, but there will be at least one lane open in each direction at all times. The Town of Chapel Hill alerted residents to work beginning this last week, but traffic patterns were largely unaffected.

At the same time, construction crews will also be installing curb ramps along West Franklin near Chapel Hill Tire, the Cat Tales Cat Café, Cholanad Restaurant and the Graduate Hotel. Town staff said this may affect pedestrian traffic, but the sidewalks will remain open and accessible the entire time.

Chapel Hill town officials say this week’s work should only have a minimal impact. In May, though, the bigger stages of the project will get underway.

The local government says North Carolina Department of Transportation crews will begin its repaving and repainting all of West Franklin Street, which will have a more significant impact on traffic.

“The West [Franklin] repaving project will start the day after UNC’s graduation [on May 8,] Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger told 97.9 The Hill. “It will last six to eight weeks and it will mostly be done at night.”

While the road will not be fully closed during the work, it will often be reduced to one lane while repaving and repainting is underway. The project will allow the Town of Chapel Hill to reallocate lanes on West Franklin to include new bicycle lanes. Ongoing updates from the project can be found on the town’s website.

Chapel Hill’s work on West Franklin Street coincides with — but is unrelated to — a longer-term project: OWASA’s work to replace aging water lines on West Cameron Avenue. That work has also caused lane closures and affected traffic since getting underway on April 4.

A overhead showing the stretch of West Cameron Avenue and the Libba Cotten Bikeway that will be affected during the replacement of 100-year-old water lines in coming months. (Photo via the Orange Water and Sewer Authority.)

Photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.

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