The proposed extension has been a part of the city’s thoroughfare plan since 1972. In 2014, the Council adopted a resolution supporting the expansion — requesting a design that would improve north-south connection as long as the crossing was at-grade with the existing CSX rail corridor — which CSX subsequently turned down.
Recently, things have been moving forward more quickly. NCDOT recently conducted a new round of public hearings and submitted the project for state funding. According to a NCDOT spokesperson, an evaluation and scoring of the project is expected to be completed this spring; that will determine whether the extension receives funding as part of NCDOT’s funding plan.
In their current Draft Environmental Impact Statement, the North Carolina Department of Transportation proposed two alternative options, both of which would include an overpass crossing Market Street. Both alternatives would impact a significant number of residences and businesses…