Summer 2024 Permanent Railroad Crossing Closure: Indian Wells Road

Project Schedule

• Permanent closure of CSX at-grade Carpenter Fire Station Road railroad crossing – COMPLETE
• New at-grade O'Kelly Chapel Road railroad crossing at CSX Railroad – COMPLETE
• Open O'Kelly Chapel Road and Little Drive to through traffic between NC 55 and Davis Drive in Research Triangle Park - COMPLETE
• Complete construction of the Carpenter Fire Station Road Bridge and Intersection Improvements project – Summer 2024
• Permanent closure of CSX at-grade Indian Wells Road railroad crossing – Summer 2024

Background

Developers working on behalf of Cary sought interest in developing a mixed-use development project known as Parkside Town Commons. This site is located within the Alston Activity Center Concept Plan (AACCP) located east of NC 55 and Interstate 540 in northwestern Wake County. This site development began in 2009 and also extended O’Kelly Chapel Road, bisecting the development. As part of Cary’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan, this plan designated O’Kelly Chapel Road as a major thoroughfare which also included plans to extend O’Kelly Chapel Road from N.C. 55 to the east connecting Little Drive in Research Triangle Park. This roadway connection required the developer to construct a new at-grade railroad crossing of O’Kelly Chapel Road at CSX Transportation’s existing railroad track which runs north-south and parallel to N.C. 55, to the western boundary of the site. During the preparation and planning of Parkside Town Commons, CSX suggested to the developer that it would allow a new at-grade crossing of O’Kelly Chapel Road extension to the east of the site, provided the developer or Town of Cary could permanently close two existing at-grade crossings adjacent to the site. An at-grade crossing with CSX Transportation for O’Kelly Chapel Road is consistent with the Town’s AACCP plan.

Separate from the AACCP development plan, Cary identified a preliminary plan and after passage of funding a new Capital Transportation Improvement Project to construct a grade-separated crossing just north of the former Carpenter Fire Station Road at-grade crossing. This crossing would be a grade-separated crossing of CSX over the new roadway. This new project is part of Cary’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan to extend a major thoroughfare roadway, extending Morrisville Carpenter Road under CSX to N.C. 55, and is known as the Carpenter Fire Station Road Bridge and Intersection Improvements Project. This project is scheduled to be completed in 2024.

Since 2008, the developer has been working with CSX, NCDOT, and the Town of Cary to execute and implement a Crossing Consolidation Agreement to construct an at-grade crossing at O’Kelly Chapel Road. In return, the Town was required to implement a new project to create a grade-separated crossing of CSX over a new major-thoroughfare roadway. This agreement also required the Town and its developer to permanently close Carpenter Fire Station Road and Morrisville Carpenter Road to meet the intent of both NCDOT and CSX Transportation policies on Railroad Crossing Consolidation and Closure.

Morrisville Carpenter Road at-grade railroad crossing will permanently close spring 2024.  This work will be done under a Construction Agreement with CSX Transportation as work will occur within Railroad Right of Way following the substantial completion of the Carpenter Fire Station Road Bridge and Intersection Improvements Project.

Contact

Pat Goldman, PE
Construction Manager
patrick.goldman@carync.gov