Construction to improve Rosemary Street delayed

Delays in acquiring public easements have pushed construction for the Rosemary Street Improvement Project later than its initial start date of May 16.

Rosemary Street’s cracked pavement and narrow walkways are soon to get a makeover as part of the project, whose mission is to improve pedestrian safety. According to the Town of Chapel Hill, the project will widen sidewalks, connect existing sidewalks, install new pedestrian lighting and repave the street.

The town is also planning to replace curb and gutter sections, plant more trees and install bike racks and garbage receptacles.

But the town does not own the land that stretches the length of Rosemary Street, said Curtis Brooks, project manager for the Public Works Department.

He said the town has been pursuing public easements, or the right for the general public to use portions of privately owned land, since last summer by meeting with business and property owners and their attorneys. Some property owners have been slow to respond.

Emily Cameron, project manager for the Public Works Department, said the contract for the project was signed at the end of last week and predicts construction will begin Tuesday.

She said the town has acquired easements for part but not all of Rosemary Street. Construction will begin on the section of Rosemary between Columbia Street and the town’s parking garage at 105 East Rosemary Street.

According to the NCDOT Bicyclist and Pedestrian Crash Map, there were 22 bicycle or pedestrian crashes on Rosemary between 2007 and 2013, making it one of a few hot spots for pedestrian and bike accidents in Chapel Hill-Carrboro.

Meg McGurk, executive director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, said better sidewalks are one the main focuses of the project.

She said many of the sidewalks on Rosemary Street are very narrow and do not conform to the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act, making it difficult or impossible for a wheelchair to safely navigate them.

“The 100 East block of Rosemary Street is pretty inaccessible for anyone that doesn’t have two fully functioning legs,” McGurk said.

Brooks said project leaders hope to complete as much of the sidewalk improvements as possible during the summer while traffic in and around Chapel Hill is reduced.

The deadline for all concrete work to be completed is October 1, Cameron said. The plan is to have the sidewalks from Henderson Street to Church Street open by mid-August, she said.

McGurk said pedestrian-level LED lighting will also be a great improvement for the street, helping drivers see pedestrians at night and keeping the area well-lit at all times.

“I think it is going to be phenomenal for the sense of safety,” she said.

Chapel Hill voters approved $1.6 million in bonds to pay for street and sidewalk improvements, McGurk said. That includes improvements outlined in the Chapel Hill Bike Plan.

McGurk said the project is an example of the residents of the town taking action to solve safety issues.

“Our voters voted for the bonds, and this is it being put into place for the better of everybody in the community,” she said.

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