by Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
After nearly five years, construction could begin this fall on a James Street sidewalk that residents say is long overdue.
George Seiz, director of Carrboro Public Works, said that despite delays and design challenges he hopes sidewalk construction will begin this fall, with completion of the project about six months later.
The James Street sidewalk is part of a sidewalk bond project approved by voters in 2003. The project includes 0.65 miles of sidewalks, from West Main Street to Hillsborough Road. The sidewalk is planned for the west side of James Street.
The 2003 referendum authorized the town to spend up to $4.6 million on sidewalks and greenway trails, and James Street was one of the areas initially identified for the project’s phase one sidewalk projects.
However, phase one included 20 projects throughout Carrboro. In addition, the James Street sidewalk project has faced design challenges with topography, utilities and drainage that have taken more time to sort out than those of other projects, Seiz said.
With a post office at one end of the street and the McDougle schools near the other end, pedestrian traffic on James Street is fairly heavy. The street has speed bumps and stop signs to slow down through traffic, but residents say it’s not enough.
“[Pedestrians] walk with their pets, they walk with their strollers and baby carriages, they walk for recreation and exercise,†said Allen Spalt, a long-time James Street resident and former Carrboro alderman. “They walk to get to the post office and shopping center, they walk to get to the school.
“As we try to become a truly walkable community, it’s necessary to have a lot more sidewalks.â€
Spalt added that residents of a nearby adult group home often walk down James Street as well.
“It is a situation that is just waiting for a disaster,†he said. “It’s just waiting for tragedy.â€
At this point, Spalt said, it’s time to build the sidewalk.
“I know things take a long time, but all that having been said, early this year I talked to the town about it and was pretty much assured that it would be done this year,†Spalt said. “I figure five years is long enough.â€
Spalt and other James Street residents appealed to the board of alderman in June and Seiz and other town officials met with James Street property owners to discuss plans for the sidewalk Monday night.
Residents had wanted to make sure that the sidewalk was designed so that it wouldn’t make the street appear wider, so motorists wouldn’t drive faster. In addition, they wanted the sidewalk to be built as close to the road as possible, to minimize the impact on the trees on the side of the road.
Seiz said staff made modifications to the plans to respond to the concerns of the residents and presented the changes to property owners Monday night. The plans were well-received, Seiz said, and he hopes to move forward promptly.
However, the town still needs to obtain some easements from property owners and work with utility companies to iron out any utility conflicts, Seiz said.
“We’re trying to expedite that so we can actually get [the sidewalk] under construction in the fall,†he said.
In the meantime, Spalt said, he hopes an accident won’t happen.