UPDATE (3:00 p.m.): The suspicious, unidentified object found at the 700 block of Franklin Street Monday has been detonated and collected for evidence.
Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue said the police department received a call from a passerby around midmorning Monday about an object that looked suspicious.
Chapel Hill fire and police officials were called in, and they could not determine whether the object was safe, he said. Franklin Street was blocked off from Boundary Street to North Estes Street, and the Durham County Sheriff's Bomb Disposal Unit was called in to investigate.
"It was a significant inconvenience for many but I think a smart move for safety's sake," Blue said.
He said the unit was also unable to say with certainty if it was a safe item and were unsure about its origins. The item was detonated on scene and will be processed for evidence.
Normal traffic resumed after police, and fire officials cleared the scene just after 1 p.m.
UPDATE (1:14 p.m.): Police are now allowing traffic to move freely through the 700 block of Franklin Street.
