Committee Drafts Solutions To Road-Widening Concerns

To form the committee, the Chapel Hill Town Council sent fliers to those who live around Weaver Dairy Road.

Twenty-five area residents responded to the fliers and were put on the committee.

Fifteen committee members and a traffic engineer, who was appointed by the Town Council, met at the Chapel Hill Town Hall on Thursday to create a list of actions they want the N.C. Department of Transportation to take in the short term.

The main proposed solutions the committee will present are the addition of sidewalks, left-turn lanes, a raised median, traffic lights and periodic police enforcement on Weaver Dairy Road.

Most attendants at the meeting had close, personal connection to the solutions because of their proximity to Weaver Dairy Road.

"My backyard is Weaver Dairy Road," said Committee Member Cyndy Risku.

"The sidewalk goes through my property. I don't want (the N.C. DOT) taking any more of my land."

The Town Council will attend a committee meeting Dec. 6 to look over ideas the committee has come up with.

"We wanted to have a draft for the next meeting of the report of our short- term solutions," Committee Chairman Paul Caldwell said.

"The Town Council will read over the report and then meet with the DOT."

The council voted in January to widen the road to three lanes.

In March, the N.C. DOT responded by explaining that the four-lane option would better meet the road's needs.

Committee members, however, feel the four-lane option endangers those who live in the area.

"(The N.C. DOT) has the wrong solution," Nick Nickerson, a committee member who lives on Weaver Dairy Road said.

"A three-lane solution is safer because it will reduce the amount of traffic and the speed of the cars."

Risku said the four-lane road would make the road a highway.

"(A four-lane road) gives the look and feel of a highway," Risku said. "This causes higher speeds and volumes of traffic."

The committee members feel that although not all of their proposed solutions will be implemented, they are important for the N.C. DOT to consider.

"They've been saying safety is the number one issue," Risku said.

"Let's have them prove it."

The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.