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Was just reading this article on plans for Pleasant Park in Apex. My first reaction was "you can't win", but then I started wondering if the concerns were legitimate. Thoughts?
I can understand their concerns and I think they will be addressed when they build the park. The park is going add a ton of new traffic to that area, but I doubt the railroad will allow Apex to improve the crossing much other than adding flashers and crossing arms.
I read the same article and thought the same thing. I think it's telling that they're just in the conceptual stage and the article even says, "Right now, there is only one way in and out, and the road travels over railroad tracks." It looks like with some adjustment they could add a second entrance if the concerns pan out, but I too am a little puzzled by the concerns in general.
The railroad crossing is a pinch point because there is no other way out of that area, which is currently boxed in by 540, US1, and the RR track, with no connector roads to the only other parallel road nearby, Friendship Rd. The people on Pleasant Plains Rd are simply stating the obvious, since there is always a concern about evacuations. Perhaps there needs to be a connector road over to Friendship Rd. That would take care of the problem, but would cost a lot.
This park should not be built without major work to provide either an underpass or overpass of the existing railroad. The problem with a park like this, which is targeted for sporting events and tournaments, is traffic will get extremely heavy at times before and after any event.
Road work will require NCDOT to get involved, so I don't see any real development taking pace anytime soon.
As I look at the concept maps again, am I right in seeing that the access is only to Old US 1 and that they're not currently going to have an access point on Pleasant Plains Rd?
No, actually the property does not touch Old US 1, so the point(s) of road access would all be on Pleasant Plains. But the problem is Pleasant Plains dead ends at US 1, so it only goes in the direction that dumps onto Old US1.
IMO the concerns are legit, but it's also an opportunistic situation for the NIMBY's. Not to sound harsh, I probably wouldn't want the associated traffic in my area either, but I think that is the motivator for the stated concerns. That being said, I think they are legit, and need to be resolved before the park can be built. As one of the people interviewed said, what if there were a medical emergency, and there was a train blocking the one entrance (which does happen from time to time)?
As one of the people interviewed said, what if there were a medical emergency, and there was a train blocking the one entrance (which does happen from time to time)?
Has the train/does it ever stop on the tracks in this area or by "block" do you mean that the train may be passing (but moving) through the area? I know it sounds like I'm splitting hairs, but there are RR crossings everywhere and it would seem that the chance for an ambulance or the like to have to wait for a train to pass would seem a fairly common occurrence regardless of the location.
Edited to add: I totally see the concern about having 1 access point that crosses the RR tracks for general traffic issues and a lot of people coming/going at once (it's even a problem on Chatham with the Cary soccer park) but hinging the "against" argument on emergency access only seems a bit tenuous...
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