Jones Ferry Road is getting a makeover

It looks like travelers on Jones Ferry Road will have to wait until June 2016 before the dust settles.

Construction on Jones Ferry Road boasts some major improvements, including the installation of medians, bike lanes and a sidewalk. A new traffic signal will also be installed at Davie Road along with pedestrian signals and high-visibility crosswalks. All of these improvements seek to make the road a safer place to drive and walk. 

"(There are) too many accidents here, and people die," said Walter Ordes, Carrboro resident. "People are crazy drivers." 

Carrboro Board of Aldermen member Damon Seils said dust in the air was a problem because of the road construction. He asked if there was any way to cut down on the dust. Overall, though, he was in favor of the project. 

"Really, we have been looking forward to this project for a long time," Seils said. "I'm very excited, and it will make the road safer."

Carrboro doesn't really have any jurisdiction over the construction on Jones Ferry Road because it is a state-maintained road, said Julie Eckenrode, assistant to the town manager of Carrboro. 

"We only maintain local roads in town," Eckenrode said. 

Eckenrode also said the North Carolina Department of Transportation is overseeing the work and hired a private company to do the construction.

The DOT gave transportation planner Bergen Watterson a tentative date for completion. In an email, Watterson said the tentative completion date is June 3, 2016. 

For many, the road construction on Jones Ferry Road does not affect them, but for residents living in the area around the construction site, including those in Collins Crossing and Ridgewood Apartments, living in a construction zone disrupts their daily routine. 

"I don't feel (the construction) is very organized, so it usually takes a longer time getting through the area," Kat Nigro, a UNC graduate who lives in Collins Crossing, said about construction. "It takes forever mostly because they're not organized." 

Nigro said the dust doesn't really bother her when she's driving, but when she's walking it's another story.

"(The dust) does bother me when I do walk here, and I see it and it's dusty and noisy and, noise pollution, especially," Nigro said. 

Though construction may not be done until summer, Seils is hopeful the new project will make the road safer for all. And once the dust finally settles, residents will have one less disruption in their daily lives and one more traffic signal.

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