Staff members of the North Carolina Department of Transportation presented updates on the Smith Level Road Project to the Carrboro Board of Aldermen Tuesday night.
The project, which includes the creation of sidewalks and bike lanes along Smith Level Road, has been controversial among Carrboro residents because it involves the creation of a two-lane highway and median.
Residents have said the road isn’t safe for cyclists and needs bike lanes, but residents worried about the solution that has been planned.
“Having a road with a median in front of a neighborhood in the city of Carrboro doesn’t make sense,” resident Alan Waibel said. “We should be slowing traffic down instead of speeding it up.”
Waibel lives in a neighborhood off of Smith Level Road and is most concerned with the divided highway and the fact that plan prohibits a left turn out of Willow Oak Road and on to Smith Level Road, a dislike he shared with other residents.
“I do not believe that there’s been evidence present that makes it more dangerous than MLK Boulevard. If you can make left-hand turns on those roads, then why not here?” resident Gregory Dito said.
Residents also expressed concern over the location of construction easements, many of which are located on or near private party.
“The parcels that we’re talking about are actually people’s homes and probably their single largest assets,” resident Robin Langdon said.
The department and the Town of Carrboro have been discussing the project since 1990, Mayor Mark Chilton said.
The department anticipates the project will be ready for construction next January, with an estimated completion date of May 2015, if the Board of Aldermen approves it.
Despite concerns, some appreciated the department’s work.
“I just want to say, as one of the DOT’s biggest critics, that I’m very impressed with the direction the organization is headed in,” Chilton said.
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