Morrisville weighs ‘Morrisville in Motion’ safety plan, council presses for quicker local fixes

Brett Martin, Morrisville’s transportation project manager, and Matthew Day of the Central Pines Regional Council presented the draft “Morrisville in Motion” transportation safety action plan to the Morrisville Town Council on Sept. 23, 2025. The plan, funded through a US Department of Transportation Safe Streets for All grant with a $13,000 local match from the town, lays out priorities, strategies and the federal “safe systems” approach required to make the town eligible for implementation grants.

The consultants summarized crash data for 2016–2023 showing 4,569 reported crashes in Morrisville, seven that involved fatalities and nine that involved serious injuries. Based on that analysis they recommended the town adopt an aspirational goal to sustain zero fatal and serious-injury crashes through 2035 and to focus investments on a “high-injury network” that includes segments of NC-54, McCrimman Parkway, Morrisville Parkway, Morrisville Carpenter Road, Aviation Parkway and Airport Boulevard near I‑40.

Martin said the plan’s primary purpose is to identify deficiencies and to create the federally required documentation that allows Morrisville to apply for implementation funding. “In procedural terms… the plan renders the town eligible for federal implementation grants to actually implement projects or strategies included in the plan,” he said.

Public commenters tied the plan to on-the-ground concerns. Resident Suresh Narin, who lives in the Breenridge neighborhood, said the elementary-school area still lacks reliable school‑zone protections and urged the town to install a push‑button crossing, radar‑speed signs or a properly located school sign to avoid an accident. “We need to get this resolved,” Narin said.

Resident Harrison Kessle urged council to adopt the plan and also to press for state policy changes. “I’m asking you both individually and as a council to advocate for the repeal of this limitation at the state level,” he said, referring to a 2013 North Carolina restriction that he said prevents standalone bicycle and pedestrian projects on state‑owned roads from receiving state funding. Kessle argued that the restriction forces towns to wait for expensive road‑widening projects rather than pursue incremental safety fixes.

Council members welcomed the plan’s analysis but repeatedly asked for more actionable next steps, budget estimates and shorter timelines. Council Member Fender asked whether the town can develop a traffic‑calming program sooner; staff and the consultants said the plan is intentionally high level because it must meet federal Safe Streets for All standards and that implementation typically requires additional project‑level studies and coordination with NCDOT. Michelle Steie, the town’s planning director, said the draft identifies priority locations (cut sheets) that should be the focus of follow‑up studies and funding applications.

Several council members and staff noted that some intersection work and corridor projects are already in separate design pipelines, and that adopting this safety action plan is a necessary step to pursue additional federal dollars. The consultants said the plan identifies near‑term strategies (0–6 years) and longer‑term items and that they will return to council on Oct. 14 with the draft for formal consideration of adoption.

The council signaled interest in moving one item forward: members reached consensus to accelerate development of a traffic‑calming guidance document so the town can better evaluate near‑term local actions even while larger corridor projects and NCDOT coordination continue. The plan itself does not appropriate construction funds; staff emphasized that Council must allocate budget resources and pursue implementation grants before projects move from recommendations into on‑the‑ground work.

Next steps: the consultants will return to the Oct. 14 meeting with the draft plan for adoption consideration; adopting the plan would make Morrisville eligible to compete for federal implementation funding tied to the Safe Streets for All program.