The “teeth-clenching” experience that is cycling between Chapel Hill and Durham might soon come to an end.
The Chapel Hill Town Council voted to endorse a plan that will provide bike lanes, sidewalks and multi-use paths along the Old Durham Chapel Hill Road corridor during a public hearing Monday.
Durham resident and frequent cyclist Laura Gilliom lives on the south side of the corridor.
Gilliom said she supports plans to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety in the area because she often worries for the safety of her children and herself.
“It’s muddy, the weeds get high and biking is scary,” she said. “I wouldn’t want my kids out there.”
An original plan for the area included four-foot bike lanes and sidewalks on both sides of the corridor, but the council was unable to move forward with that plan due to budget constraints.
During the public hearing, Long Range and Transportation Planning Manager David Bonk gave a presentation that outlined four alternative options for the project to reduce costs.
On behalf of the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization, Bonk said the council should endorse the fourth alternative, which would provide a sidewalk and four-foot bike lanes on Old Durham Chapel Hill Road from Pope Road to Standish Drive. The plan also calls for an eight-foot multi-use path from Standish to Lakeview drives and a five-foot sidewalk from Lakeview Drive to Pope Road. Chapel Hill will be responsible for paying $707,000 of the $3.5 million project.
Meeting attendee John Rees also said he supports the project to improve bike safety along the road.
