Two West Cary issues (911/540-McCrimmon Pkwy) (Durham, Apex: elementary school, closing, quality of life)

[gobirdz27]

The reason your call may have been routed to Chatham County EMS is because that area has virtually no cell service. The closest cell towers are on NC 55 and NC 751. 751 is in Chatham County, so if your phone was connected to that tower that may explain why it was routed there.

I agree about the lack of a light at O'Kelly Chapel. That's going to be a nightmare. We should all e-mail the TOC.

[brooks2007]

It is my understanding that CFSR will NOT be closed, but will incorporate temporary roadways on each side of the bridge construction.

I don't know if the incline or slope of McCrimmon keeps them from doing that but it seems that there should be a better solution or at least postpone construction on the bridge until they can resolve the traffic issue.

IMHO:

*They need to improve and widen the intersection at the light at CFSR and 55 to have both left AND right hand turn lanes.

* They should temporarily block Carpenter-Morrisville just east of 55 so that people cannot go straight across and hold up traffic at that light. (BOTH WAYs so that oncoming traffic does not slow those needing to turn left traveling north on 55.)

*They should put a light at O'Kelly Chapel, even if "temporary".

*They should also be posting signs on 40 & 540 well before Davis Drive so as to re-direct traffic away from 55 southbound, and allow travelers opportunity to choose a different route BEFORE they get to 55.


This note (3/29) is from Lori Cove in response to a neighbor's inquiry:
"With regard to the McCrimmon closure, we have not yet received any official information from the NC Turnpike Authority with regard to the specific date of the closure. I did hear today that there are dynamic message signs on McCrimmon stating that it will be closed on April 10th and Panther Creek High School has made an announcement to parents that traffic will be affected starting on Monday, April 12th.

The Town operates the signals at NC 55 and Carpenter Fire Station as well as those at NC 55 and McCrimmon so we will be working to try to manage the additional traffic as much as possible, but it will be congested.

It is my understanding from their web page that Panther Creek High School is also working to help minimize traffic by encouraging students to take the bus to school and also will be offering what they are calling "express stops" at four area elementary schools so that parents can take their children to these locations and avoid the area around the school completely.

I also expect that the NC Turnpike Authority will implement detour routes that may include going north on Green Level Church Road (formerly Green Level to Durham Road) to O'Kelly Chapel Road to get from the NW and West areas of Cary towards NC 55. We will update our web page as soon as we receive updated information."

This (info below) was on the TOC website, this does say that NCTPA is building TWO 2-lane bridges so I am not sure why they cannot keep part of McCrimmon open for one way commuter traffic while each of the bridges is alternately built. Sure it will be an inconvenience for them, but what about the residents of Cary and Chatham county? Temporary closure is estimated to be 300 days!

Impact on Cary

McCrimmon Parkway closure
Effective April 12, 2010, a portion of McCrimmon Parkway at I-540 will be closed temporarily for the construction of two, 2-lane bridges over the new Western Wake Expressway. Construction of the overpass is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2010 and last no more than 10 months (300 days). McCrimmon Parkway will intersect with the proposed Wester Wake Freeway approximately 1,000 feet west of the west entrance to Panther Creek High School; therefore, the road closure will restrict access to the high school from the west.

White Oak Greenway
Due to the construction of the Western Wake Freeway, the Town will temporarily close the central section of the White Oak Greenway effective March 15, 2010. This 450-foot section of trail is in the middle of the recently completed 2-mile stretch of the White Oak Creek Greenway between NC Highway 55 and Green Level Church Road. It is scheduled to reopen in January 2012. All other parts of the greenway will remain open. There will be no detours or alternate connections between the two ends of the trail.

I know that this is a state funded project and that NCDOT & NCTPA's rules supercede TOC's (TOC's noise ordinances do not apply to the state road construction either!) but it seems the town is responding after the fact to issues affecting the NW area.

It would be most helpful for them to take a PRO-ACTIVE stance and instead of waiting to hear from the Turnpike Authority they meet with them and work cooperatively.

JQPublic is right, we need to let our voices be heard. They need to manage our local traffic regardless of what NCTPA is doing. Please send your concerns and or suggestions to town.council@townofcary.org, laura.cove@townofcary.org, and ricky.barker@townofcary.org.

[Beermat]

great post Brooks, and in the context of $1bn cost of building 19.8 miles of 540 the points you raise are 'petty cash' and our elected ToC representatives should be arm wrestling with the Triangle Turnpike Authority to expedite the actions immediately. What better publicity for Councillor Don Frantz to improve his image on the Council and his future political ambitions by getting some publicity in the run up to the State elections by getting some action for the West Cary residents

[NoneOfThis]

Great post, brooks2007!

I sent an email to the TOC last night. If I can fish it out of the system, I'll forward it to Laurie Cove specifically, as she was very responsive when I wrote about the danger at various intersections on what is now Green Level Church Rd. between Greystone and Amberly.

[JQ Public]

Woohoo! I'm impressed with everyone's collaboration!

[SFspiderman]

Originally Posted by brooks2007

This (info below) was on the TOC website, this does say that NCTPA is building TWO 2-lane bridges so I am not sure why they cannot keep part of McCrimmon open for one way commuter traffic while each of the bridges is alternately built. Sure it will be an inconvenience for them, but what about the residents of Cary and Chatham county? Temporary closure is estimated to be 300 days!

The bridges are parallel to each other, not in series...each one carries two lanes of traffic either north or south on 540, and each one will cross all lanes of McCrimmon traffic. So if you didn't build them simultaneously, you'd have to shut down McCrimmon for 600 days, as you have to shut down all lanes of McCrimmon for each one.

Certainly doesn't seem like a good situation though...

[brooks2007]

Originally Posted by SFspiderman

The bridges are parallel to each other,so if you didn't build them simultaneously, you'd have to shut down McCrimmon for 600 days, as you have to shut down all lanes of McCrimmon for each one. Certainly doesn't seem like a good situation though...

Drag... Looks like CFSR & O'Kelly REALLY need improvements and soon. If TOC can't do them due to budget constraints (though today's Cary's paper said they are now 3.3 Million in the black - sure they will regret publishing that!), not sure why NCTPA is not required to bear the burden for the cost of disrupted traffic.

[brooks2007]

I received a reply that Lori Cove is out of the office until 4/12 so you may also want to copy your email to the Director of Engineering at TOC: Tim.Bailey@townofcary.org

[NoneOfThis]

I received the following detailed response from Town of Cary:

Good afternoon,

Thank you for your e-mail and taking the time to contact us. We have received many contacts about this issue and have prepared a comprehensive response in an effort to share information.

Cary’s goal is to provide a safe and efficient transportation system for motorists as well as pedestrians and cyclists. Being part of a larger region not everything is within Cary’s authority and requires working with many agencies to pursue that goal. We recognize that the ongoing work being undertaken by the North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA), including the closure of McCrimmon Parkway, has a significant impact on Cary citizens from a traffic perspective as well as overall quality of life issues. Although this major roadway project is managed by the NCTA and the major streets are owned and maintained by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), the Town frequently works with these agencies on solutions. Cary is implementing several strategies to address some of the traffic concerns in the area as a result of the closure of McCrimmon Parkway for mitigations in our area of authority. These include the following:

Identifying alternate routes
Modifying timing of traffic signals
Adding emergency vehicle signal pre-emption
Encouraging changes in travel/commuting times

In addition the Town will be relaying the many concerns we are receiving to both NCTA and NCDOT. Staff will prepare a written request to respective NCTA and NCDOT staff asking for consideration of other strategies within their direct control and responsibility.


Alternate Routes
The NCTA’s detour plan for McCrimmon Parkway appears to be focused on Carpenter Fire Station Road which is already a congested roadway. Fortunately, there is a good network of other roads in the area that drivers can use during the detour period to avoid the most congested intersection at NC 55 and Carpenter Fire Station Road. These routes include going north on Green Level Church Road (formerly Green Level to Durham Road) to O'Kelly Chapel Road to get from the Northwest and West areas of Cary towards NC 55 to head towards the Research Triangle Park. People can also continue traveling north on Green Level Church Road to Kit Creek Road and then head east on Kit Creek Road to reach a signalized intersection on NC 55. For travel towards the south, drivers can take Green Level Church Road to Green Hope School Road or Green Level West Road. The Town’s web page provides additional details on the project and will be updated as additional information becomes available. Here's the link for easy access.

http://www.townofcary.org/New_to_Cary_/Current_Projects/freeway.htm

Signal Timing
While the traffic signals are owned by the NCDOT, the Town operates the signals at NC 55 and Carpenter Fire Station as well as those at NC 55 and McCrimmon Parkway so we will be working to try to manage the additional traffic as much as possible, but it will be congested. Without additional lanes or other physical improvements that are costly and time consuming, signal timing adjustments will at best only result in very minor improvements for some traffic and could result in bigger delays for others. For instance, if more “green time” is given to traffic coming from Carpenter Fire Station, the traffic on NC 55 will see more “red time”, thus increasing their delays.

Emergency Vehicle Pre-emption
We know that people are concerned with emergency response. The Town is working to install emergency pre-emption devices at the intersection of NC 55 and Carpenter Fire Station Road. These devices will turn the light green for emergency vehicles so that they can get where they need to go without waiting in the traffic signal queue.

Travel Times
The Town will also ask drivers to help reduce the potential congestion by encouraging people to travel at slightly different times during the morning and afternoon. Just small shifts in travel time can help reduce the traffic demand during the peak times. If possible, if you need to travel through the NC 55 and Carpenter Fire Station intersection, travel before 7 or after 8 in the mornings or before 4 or after 6:30 in the evenings.


Alternatives to Personal Vehicles
Using alternative travel means can reduce congestion and have the added benefit of minimizing impact on the environment. Things such as carpooling, walking, riding bikes, using transit or riding school buses can have significant reduction on the number of vehicle trips. While McCrimmon Parkway carries about 6,000 trips per day, this traffic volume could be offset by trips using alternate travel choices. Based on information from planners and the federal government These types of approaches will be heavily relied on in the future to manage transportation of the nation.

We also understand that Panther Creek High School is also working to help minimize traffic by encouraging students to take the bus to school and also will be offering what they are calling "express stops" at four area elementary schools so that parents can take their children to these locations and avoid the area around the school completely. Buses will pick up children at Highcroft Elementary, Mills Park Elementary, Green Hope Elementary and Carpenter Elementary at 6:30 each morning.

We hope that you can appreciate the situation that your Town staff and elected officials are in as we can attempt to influence decisions and actions of the NCTA and the NCDOT but since most of the major roadways in our area, including Carpenter Fire Station, NC 55, Green Level Church Road, O’Kelly Chapel Road, Green Hope School Road, and Morrisville Carpenter Road are all owned and maintained by the state, NCDOT has the approval authority with regard to their roadways. Town staff has submitted a letter to the NCTA and NCDOT with other suggestions for improvements in this area.

In response to your pavement concerns in this area, here is the latest on NCDOT and Town of Cary planned improvements on State maintained roadways in this part of Town:

1.) Green Level Church Road will be resurfaced from O'Kelly Chapel Road to Carpenter Fire Station Road this spring/summer.

2.) Green Level Church Road between Green Hope School Road and Green Level West Road will be patched (patching operations only no resurfacing) this spring.

3.) Green Level West Road from Green Level Church to Chatham County Line will receive a BST seal (triple seal coat of chip-seal). This work is expected to begin this summer.

4.) Green Level Church Road between Green Level West to US-64 received 2.0' widening for shoulder safety improvements and was resurfaced back in 2008.

5.) The Town of Cary has a project to widen Green Level Church from Carpenter Fire Station to McCrimmon to a four lane median divided facility that should be under construction later this year .

In the mean time, potholes can be reported to the Town of Cary Public Works and Utilities Department at (919) 469-4090 or by e-mail at potholes@townofcary.org. Potholes on these state-maintained roads in Cary will be reported to the NCDOT.

We will continue to do what we can to influence the NCTA and NCDOT to address the concerns that you have raised. Thank you again for taking the time to contact us. Please let me know if you have any additional traffic or transportation engineering related questions.

[Beermat]

Cary is implementing several strategies to address some of the traffic concerns in the area as a result of the closure of McCrimmon Parkway for mitigations in our area of authority. These include the following:

Identifying alternate routes
Modifying timing of traffic signals
Adding emergency vehicle signal pre-emption
Encouraging changes in travel/commuting times

Considering that McCrimmon closes in 3 days time they are leaving things a bit late. I think the bottom line is 'suck it up', especially when they suggest alternatives like walking just imagine trying to cross NC55 on foot at Carpenter Firestation it's dangerous enough in a vehicle, and suicide on foot - thats if you didnt get run over walking along the road on CFSR before getting to 55.

let's hope the ToC 'brains' do what's sensible and install a left turn signal and if it delays people from Holly Springs and Apex driving north to RTP on 55 then so be it - they get all the benefit from 540 when it's completed so they should feel some of the pain in construction. I can't believe Cary politicians are even concerned by delays to non voters, but don't seem to give a toss to their electorate who will spend half the morning trapped on CFSR trying to turn right.