The Transportation Advisory Board will review the NCDOT proposal, but both the advisory board and the aldermen fear widening Smith Level Road will attract traffic as Carrboro implements driving deterrents.
"We may want to make a road as a disincentive," said Alderman Joal Broun. "We may need to think about it that way instead of accommodating more cars."
The NCDOT plan calls for widening Smith Level Road to four lanes and adding a median, bike lanes and sidewalks between Morgan Creek and Rock Haven. The plan would only affect about three-quarters of a mile of the road.
The plan is based on a model projection of traffic for the year 2025, but some aldermen said the projection does not take into account Carrboro public transportation incentives.
"We've got a fare-free program we've started," said Carrboro Mayor Mike Nelson.
In light of the fare-free program and other public transportation programs, Nelson would like to see only minor changes made to the road this year.
"We all agree we need bike paths and sidewalks," he said.
Nelson said he wants to implement these changes, then re-evaluate plans to widen the road five years from now.
Art McMillan, an assistant state roadway design engineer for the Roadway Design Unit of the NCDOT, said that from an efficiency standpoint, Nelson's suggestion does not fit with NCDOT goals.
