Town of Cary Prepares to begin IMPROVING ANOTHER STATE ROAD

Lanes, new bridge, greenway connectors forthcoming for southern Kildaire

CARY, NC – As part of its continuing commitment to providing for a high quality of life through improved traffic management, the Town of Cary is moving forward with plans to widen 1.7 miles of Kildaire Farm Road from Palace Green (near Lochmere Golf Club) southward beyond Autumngate Drive (near Mill Pond Village ) and replace the existing Swift Creek bridge.  The notice to proceed for the project was issued today and work is expected to begin by the end of this month; the entire project will take about two years to complete.

The $14.1 million project includes widening Kildaire Farm Road to five lanes without a median from 500 feet south of Autumngate Drive to Steep Bank Drive ; Kildaire Farm Road will be widened to a four-lane roadway with a median from Steep Bank Drive to Palace Green. Outside lanes will be made wider to accommodate bicycles, curb and gutter will be installed, and sidewalks will be installed on both sides. Connector trails will be added around the new Swift Creek Bridge to access the Swift Creek greenway.

Also included in the project, the Town will replace the current two-lane Swift Creek Bridge with a new four-lane bridge.  Since Kildaire Farm Road is officially a state-maintained road, the N.C. Department of Transportation is contributing $1.2 million to the project for bridge design and construction. 

“Widening this section of Kildaire Farm Road will greatly improve the flow of traffic along this important corridor,” said Cary Senior Engineer Russ Overton. “The addition of new multi-use trails connecting to the Town’s Swift Creek greenway provides an important link for Cary ’s trail system and will increase opportunities for pedestrian enjoyment within southern Cary .”

Overton noted that this is just one of several projects the Town has led to improve what are technically State-owned and maintained road.  Others include the recently completed widening of Chapel Hill Road , High House Road , and the first phase of Tryon Road .

Kildaire construction will require periodic traffic shifts and delays. For citizen safety, access to the Swift Creek greenway via the entrance at the Swift Creek Bridge on Kildaire Farm Road will be closed while the bridge is being replaced. Therefore, a gravel trail will be installed along the Williamsburg Commons side of Kildaire Farm Road for temporary access.

CC Mangum Company LLC of Raleigh , NC was awarded the construction bid for the project in June 2007. At the same time, the company was also awarded the $2.4 million Trinity Road Extension project, which will extend Trinity Road at Cary Towne Boulevard northward 1,200 feet, and the $108,000 Penny Road Water Line project that includes expanding the water line in order to complete the work at the Swift Creek Bridge. These projects are also slated to be completed during the two-year construction timeline.

For more on the Kildaire Farm Road Widening Project, visit www.townofcary.org.

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