Q&A - ROADWAYS

What will be done at South Harrison Avenue?
The link of S. Harrison Avenue behind Cary Elementary School is on the Thoroughfare Plan, but has never been a funded project. We are not proposing it to be a capital project or a bond project.

What is being done to improve downtown traffic?
That has been one of the primary functions of completing the Maynard Road Loop. When that was completed, it had a dramatic impact on N. Harrison Avenue and W. Chatham Street traffic. We would like to continue to keep as much traffic as possible away from the downtown corridor. That has been the primary focus at this point. Currently, we do not have any huge deficiency in level of service in this corridor. The intersection which is closest to being a problem is the one downtown, and we are probably not very likely to widen it because of the more historic character of the downtown area.

Aren’t most of these roads the responsibility of the State of North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT)?
Nine of these proposed roadways are state roadways, and in the past have primarily been the responsibility of the State. Cary has often worked with the state, but state funding is getting tighter for those types of things.

So basically, the state has run out of money for these improvements and we should just go ahead and do them ourselves?
This is one of those reasons for having a bond referendum. We are asking the citizens if they want the Town to go ahead and do these improvements ourselves.

If we widen all these state roads will we get something back from the state? Can the Town bargain for some payback for doing what is essentially the state’s job?
Probably not. There is very limited funding in the state right now and I don’t think there is any bargaining position to work on.

Why don’t we have a sidewalk at South Harrison Avenue for downtown pedestrian traffic?
That project is already funded. We are surveying for a sidewalk for S. Harrison between W. Chatham and Dry Avenue, and we hope to begin construction this winter or spring on that project.

What about sidewalk along Walker Street?
We agree that Walker Street is an important link. We are looking at the possibility of adding it to the list of proposed projects.

Have we worked with our neighbors in a regional effort to improve NC55?
Yes, one of our Council members, Melba Sparrow, has been key in that, pulling people together from Apex and RTP and meeting with the State and explaining the needs. Her efforts have really brought this to the state’s attention. We have some meetings in November to discuss that with the State further. We don’t know the exact focus of those meetings, but we hope that it’s moving towards that. NCDOT is currently surveying along Highway 55. I think something is happening we just don’t know what. We hope to know before we finalize this bond package.

Is any other jurisdiction willing to help out financially with this project (NC55)?
Everybody’s very interested and I would assume that they would be willing to provide some support. Nobody has ever come to a point where they said, "We are interested and are willing to provide "X" dollars toward a particular project." I think we’ll find out more about that as we continue on.

What are we doing in the South East Gateway Area?
Three of the proposed bond projects are in the Southeast Gateway Area, Holly Springs Road widening, Walnut Street widening and realignment, and Piney Plains Road. In addition to that, the State is widening US1 and 64 and, as a part of that widening, they are currently looking at modifying one of the ramps that will greatly improve that intersection. Preliminary studies have shown that their proposed modification will bring that corridor up to a level of service C, even when proposed development is included in the study.

What about the area around Cary Town Centre?
There are no projects currently set for the mall area except for the Walnut Street project. Primarily, that corridor functions at acceptable levels of service except for the intersection of Maynard Road and Walnut Street. That area is fairly wide right now, and it is questionable whether we would want to continue to widen that intersection.