Construction moves forward on Morgan Creek Trail extension

Chapel Hill will soon be home to the longest paved greenway in Orange County.

The Morgan Creek Trail extension project, which will cost $1.46 million and add 1,200 feet to the trail, will close the gap between Morgan Creek Trail and Sam’s Branch trail. The project will include two bridges and a tunnel beneath Culbreth Road and will create a continuous path between the Southbridge neighborhood and Southern Community Park.

Since June 10, the eastern end of Culbreth Road has been closed to allow for the tunnel to be dug. The road will reopen Aug. 25.

Planning for the project began more than ten years ago, said Bill Webster, project manager and assistant director of Chapel Hill’s Parks and Recreation Department. The contract finalizing the Morgan Creek Trail Extension was signed about two years ago and construction officially began in April.

Webster said construction on the trail will be a complex process.

“There is difficult geography involved and a road with a difficult profile, making this a hard project,” said Webster.

Christine Berndt, chairwoman of Chapel Hill’s Greenways Commission, said the project will help people living near the trail be less dependent on their cars for transportation.

“What we’re trying to do promotes walking and bicycling. People don’t need to get into cars because we are connecting major destinations,” said Berndt.

Berndt said the longer the trail is, the more people it connects — making it more useful to residents.

But the construction, which has temporarily rerouted bus service in the area, could cause headaches for some residents.

“It’s a major inconvenience for residents, because they must drive to Smith Level Road,” said Webster.

Webster said the town has held two public meetings to inform residents about construction, which will obstruct biking and walking through the area.

One Culbreth Road resident said she thinks the timing of the project is unfortunate given other construction happening this summer.

“I can’t believe that the cities of Chapel Hill and Carrboro could plan such a walkway when there’s other construction going on,” she said. “It’s poor planning, insensitivity, and definitely more than stupidity.”

Despite the issues now, Webster said by November, the greenway will be open to use by hundreds of thousands of people. But for now, residents must deal with construction.

“Construction is always an ugly and inconvenient business — nobody likes it,” Webster said. “At the end of the day though, this will be an enormous improvement to our greenways system.”