TOWN OF CARY TO OPEN NEW NORTH-SOUTH ROUTE IN WESTERN CARY tomorrow

CARY, NC – The pieces are coming together for seamless travel in western Cary now that the Town of Cary has completed the final phase of the Louis Stevens Drive Extension project.  On Tuesday, August 22, 2006 at about noon , the Town will open the Louis Stephens Drive Extension from Carpenter Village , north to Morrisville Carpenter Road/Koppers Road . The new, half-mile section shown on the map will connect with the existing half-mile section of Louis Stephens Drive north of Heritage Pines, providing a convenient route for travel to and from western Cary . 

The opening marks the completion of the entire, $2.9-million Extension project that was completed in two phases.  The first phase, completed in late 2004, extends from Morrisville Parkway to Carpenter Village .  Both phases include: four lanes with a median and curb and gutter; a five-lane section with turn lane, 5-foot wide sidewalks on both sides and outside lanes to accommodate bicycles; two new traffic signals at Morrisville Parkway and Koppers Road/Morrisville Carpenter Road; and left-turn lane widening along Koppers Road and Morrisville Carpenter Road.

“We’re looking forward to opening this new and vital section,” said Project Engineer Russ Overton.  “Tomorrow, motorists will have another option for getting to and from work or school.  Citizens living in Carpenter Village and motorists traveling to Carpenter Elementary School are already reaping the benefits of improved mobility in this area.”  Overton added that the developers of Carpenter Village completed a quarter-mile section of Louis Stephens Drive that connects the first and second phase of the Town’s project.   

As part of the Louis Stephens Drive Extension, the Town also completed a section of Louis Stephens Drive from Morrisville Parkway to just north of Heritage Pines; however, this section is not expected to open until the Heritage Pines developer completes a section that will connect the original Louis Stephens Drive to the new Extensions Project. Once the developer completes the missing link, motorists will be able to travel more than three miles on Louis Stephens Drive from Carpenter Upchurch Road, north to Morrisville Carpenter Road/Koppers Road .

The Extension project is one part of the Town’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) –– the Town’s update to the official Thoroughfare Plan that is recognized and used by local, regional, state and federal transportation decision-makers. During the Louis Stephens Drive Extension project, the Town also built the first phase of the Morrisville Parkway Extension Project, another CTP project, from Carpenter Upchurch Road to Louis Stephens Drive in order to accommodate school traffic at the new Carpenter Elementary School . 

In 2002, The Town Council first appropriated $100,000 in Powell Bill funding towards design and related work on Louis Stephens Drive Extensions project; the Council later appropriated the bulk of construction costs in 2003 and 2007 from general obligation bonds.  Barnhill Contracting Company of Raleigh was awarded the contract for the Louis Stephens Drive Extension and Morrisville Parkway projects conjointly on October, 21, 2005 . 

As part of its long-term goal to improve mobility in western Cary and western Wake County , the Town of Cary is working with area developers, the town of Morrisville , N.C. Department of Transportation and Research Triangle Park to connect Louis Stephens Drive in Cary with existing sections of Louis Stephens Drive in RTP.

For more, visit Louis Stephens Drive Extension at www.townofcary.org or call (919) 469-4036.

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