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What will Chapel Hill Road look like in the future?
We want property owners to understand Chapel Hill Road's future. Plans for the street differ depending on adjacent land uses, traffic volumes, proximity to neighborhoods, and other factors.
Learn about the future plans for...
Chapel Hill Road (NC 54) west of NW Maynard Road will eventually be widened to a six-lane landscaped median street. Portions of this widening have been constructed by adjacent development. Chapel Hill Road transitions into Morrisville approximately 1 mile west of NW Maynard Road.
The six-lane cross section was evaluated and recommended as part of the NC 54 & More Feasibility Study conducted by NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT) in 2016. The study recommended two different cross sections along the corridor:
- Widen NC 54 to a four‐lane divided facility from I‐540 to Weston Parkway.
- Widen NC 54 to a six-lane divided facility from Weston Parkway to NW Maynard Road.
To minimize construction impacts, the corridor could be divided into three separate projects as shown below. Segment 1, shown below, will be constructed in 2021, NCDOT project U-5750.
Inside the Maynard Road Loop
Today Chapel Hill Road width alternates back and forth, wide to narrow inside the Maynard Road loop, and the presence of sidewalks are sporadic. What is the right number of lanes? Do residents want sidewalks? Do residents want bike lanes? In early 2020, the Town initiated the Chapel Hill Road Mobility Study to gather public input, evaluate the needs of the community, and use that data to develop a street design.
Chapel Hill Road is an entry way to Cary's downtown; it also provides access to single family homes, neighborhoods, businesses, schools and churches. Currently, the Imagine Cary Community Plan calls for Chapel Hill Road inside the Maynard Road loop to be widened to a four-lane street. The study will ask, "What is the right-size for Chapel Hill Road?"