Aldermen examine Smith Level Road

The Carrboro Board of Aldermen discussed funding Tuesday for the possible revamping of Smith Level Road, a project that has been in the works for 20 years.

The aldermen added three more suggestions for the town transportation board when it was again presented with options for the process of widening the section of the road between Morgan Creek and Rock Haven roads.

“It has long been recognized that bicycle and pedestrian facilities on the road are inadequate and create hazardous situations,” Alderman Alex Zaffron said.

The town is considering two changes to Smith Level Road.

Option A — developed by the N.C. Department of Transportation based on traffic predictions for the year 2025 — would result in a four-lane plan with a median.

Option B features two traffic lanes, a bicycle lane, gutter, curb and sidewalk on the west side of the road.

Tuesday’s suggestions centered on how the project would be funded.

One of the suggestions the aldermen are asking the town to consider is stretching the project payments over 20 years.

Another option, proposed by Alderman Mark Chilton, was to dip into the sidewalk bond project’s money for sidewalks that would be installed on Smith Level Road.

A third option, proposed by Alderman Jacquelyn Gist, would ask the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education to help with the cost of turning lanes and traffic lights at the intersection of Rock Haven and Smith Level roads, the site of the district’s future third high school.

One obstacle the aldermen face with the project is that the delay of construction on Smith Level Road is also delaying the construction of high school No. 3.

“The primary issue is whether or not there will be a turn lane put in at the intersection,” said Marty Roupe, the town’s development review administrator.

“How this road gets designed affects how they design the whole project,” said Mayor Mike Nelson of the plans for the new high school.

The report filed by the transportation advisory board says it is likely that construction would not be complete before the high school’s target opening date of 2007.

“The construction of the high school is a driving factor,” Zaffron said.

NCDOT has pushed back its date for a decision on the Smith Level project to March 15 to give the aldermen ample time to further discuss the issue.

During this waiting period, NCDOT also will be working on estimating the cost of the land that would be required for expansion, as well as the relocation of utilities.

If Option A is selected, a right-of-way acquisition would begin in August to acquire any necessary land for the project.

Option A costs include $600,000 for the right-of-way acquisition and $2.4 million for construction, which would be covered by NCDOT.

Option B has an estimated cost of $300,000 for right-of-way and $1.3 million for construction.

The cost for this option would be covered partly by NCDOT’s moving ahead fund, reserved for smaller projects, and the rest by Carrboro.

Whatever option the aldermen decide to choose, Zaffron said, change to the road is necessary.

“The need for pedestrian facilities is long overdue, as is the need for better transit access,” he said.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.