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NCDOT outlines Hillsborough Street widening, says pond impacts mitigated; construction timeline may slip
Summary
NCDOT presented the R-5724 B widening of Hillsborough Street to a three-lane corridor with multiuse path and subsurface storm drainage; the agency confirmed a small pond south of Springdale will be affected but said Army Corps permitting and watershed mitigation cover impacts. Utility relocations may delay construction letting past July; downtown work phased to avoid fall events.
Morgan DeWitt, project lead for NCDOT's Vision 8 project team, told the Town of Pittsboro board the R-5724 B project will widen Hillsborough Street from two 11-foot lanes to three 12-foot lanes with a center turn lane, add a 10-foot multiuse path on the east side and a 5-foot sidewalk on the west side, and include subsurface storm drainage and downtown streetscape and utility upgrades.
DeWitt said the project reduced the center turn lane width to limit impacts to adjacent property owners and noted the downtown portion includes water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure replacement and brick sidewalks. Contractors will be required to maintain access to businesses throughout construction; the downtown sequence prohibits work in October through December to avoid conflict with downtown events.
During a detailed question-and-answer period, a commissioner asked about stormwater and a small pond north of Chatham Mills and south of Springdale that the plans will affect. DeWitt said NCDOT received a regional general permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and that the pond impacts were included in an approved mitigation plan; mitigation will occur elsewhere in the watershed per the permitting terms. "It will be mitigated elsewhere within the watershed," DeWitt said.
DeWitt described hydraulic analysis along the corridor and said the project's linear nature spreads about an acre of impacts over nearly two miles of roadway. NCDOT concluded post-development flow increases were below the thresholds that would require retention ponds for the corridor. "After our hydraulic analysis, we determined that no stormwater ponds were needed along the corridor," DeWitt said, and added the plan uses subsurface drainage with curb and gutter to capture runoff.
Commissioners also raised pedestrian safety and connectivity concerns: DeWitt said signalized pedestrian crossings and ADA curb ramps are planned at Powell Place and that vegetated buffers will separate sidewalks from travel lanes in most areas. The board asked about a north-side gap at an overpass that leaves the new bike-ped infrastructure disconnected; DeWitt recommended working with the regional planning organization and noted municipalities can seek funding and submit projects to the STIP.
DeWitt reported utility relocations (notably two gas line relocations and telecom moves on Duke Energy poles) are ongoing and likely to delay the planned July letting for construction; the project has an estimated 26-month construction duration once started. Hillsborough Street will remain at least partially open with at least one travel lane maintained during work, and property access and mailbox access will be preserved during construction.
The board requested additional detail on stormwater measures, mitigation locations, and potential options to slow traffic after construction; DeWitt said speed-limit reductions are possible post-construction if the town passes a resolution and commits to enforcement, and the NCDOT division engineer would evaluate such a request.
The town and DOT will continue coordination on final design, pedestrian facilities and signals, drainage solutions, and a schedule update once utility relocations are resolved.
