Two major road projects that will significantly impact Davidson saw updates from NCDOT and designer Kimley-Horn on Tuesday night. U-5873 (aka Potts/115 Redesign) involves changes to the intersection at Davidson Street, 115 and Potts Street. U-5907 (aka Potts-Sloan-Beaty Connector) involves connecting Potts to Sloan and a roundabout at Sloan/Beaty/Griffith.
Town Manager Jamie Justice presented the Potts-Sloan-Beaty Corridor plans. The project vision is to have multiple modes of travel and disperse traffic with another North-South connection through town. Safety enhancements are part of the project, as the PSB is meant to be a “low-speed type corridor”. Justice cited a long history of planning and connections to other projects. He stated that the “process” started in 2011. He cited surveys from 2007, 2014, 2017, but did not state how the surveys were conducted. Justice stated that citizens had input in all of the plans that included the PSB: Town Center Plan (1998), Circulation Plan (2003), Connectivity and Traffic Calming (2004), Station Area Plan (2005), PSB Corridor Land Use Plan (2007), Comprehensive Plan (2010) and Walks and Rolls Active Transportation Plan (2013). Davidson was awarded $2.2 million through I-77 Toll Lane Bonus Allocation for the PSB project and Cornelius was awarded $6 million for the Potts/NC115 intersection redesogn. The two towns are working with NCDOT and Kimley-Horn to complete these projects that have a funding “sunset date” of June 2020 to be under construction. That date is part of the conditions attached to the I77 Bonus Allocation funding.
Ben Taylor, Design Consultant for Kimley-Horn, presented the plans and schedule for the two projects. He stated that the project is in the “infant stages” and that the firm wants “feedback because the public knows more about the area than we do.” However, there was no citizen comment period at this meeting.
Taylor stressed that the designs are not final, yet emphasized how quickly the project will progress. The Town of Davidson Board of Commissioners will decide their preferred plans next month, November 2017. Taylor stated that the ten foot multi-use path part of the plan involves cutting down the 100-year oak trees and crepe myrtles on Potts Street. There was a question about speed limits on the PSB, with Taylor stating 30 mph and commissioners stating 25 mph. If 30 mph is chosen, there will be a 5 mph increase in the current speed limit on all three affected streets. However, once the project is completed control ofnthe road will revert back to the Town, the Town will have control over setting the speed limit.
Taylor admitted that homes, businesses, yards and a school property (The Green School on South Main) will be impacted by the plans. Many citizens learned about the plans for the first time at the October 5th public meeting in Cornelius. Commissioner Jim Fuller asked about these impacts and Taylor suggested residents send him pictures of their affected property.
Other concerns addressed included asbestos, burial sites, the stream and wetlands. Taylor stated that “the asbestos will not affect the project” and that “no burials were found in project limits.” On possible burial sites, Taylor said ground penetrating radar had been used to study the area and only a few "anomolies" were found. Those were verified to not be burials. He said all three alternatives at the Potts-Sloan connection will impact a stream and wetland, but it is “permit-able” and “the stream shouldn’t be a driver in this decision” (note that alternative 1, which most impacts the stream/wetlands is the least expensive at $740,000, while the other two alternatives are well over $1 million). If Option 2 or 3 is chosen, Taylor noted that NCDOT will not pay for the homes on the left side of Potts. These Options result in houses ending up with a street both in the front yard and in the back. Commissioner Fuller asked if this negative impact effectively constituted a legal "taking" of these properties, and Scott Cole with NCDOT responded that it most likely did not.
Commissioner Graham asked if a cheaper option was chosen would the Town get to use any excess funds elsewhere. The response included saying the costs will most likely go up due to US Army Corps of Engineers’ involvement and asbestos issues. Taylor stated that he was going to “spill the beans” and inform the Town that there is not enough funding for any of the projects. That ultumately could mean additional local funding and/or project scope reduction.
With all facets of these projects, Taylor noted that the exact impacts would not be known until detailed surveys were complete. The exact trees that will be removed as well as larger decisions such as the exact positioning of the Sloan-Griffith-Beaty Roundabout could all change somewhat to minimize impacts where possible or to make consteuction easier.
Commissioner Beth Cashion expressed concern that citizen written comments were not necessarily included in Taylor’s report, specifically regarding the Potts-Sloan connection. Taylor admitted that he was not the person who compiled the comments (he did not provide who did compile them) and stated that public comments will be available for viewing in ten days.
Citizen comments that remain to be resolved:
- Reduce the roundabout size at Davidson Street/Potts Street/115.
- Change the trajectory of the new Potts Road to avoid impacting historic homes.
- Add crosswalks, sidewalks, speed humps, and 20 mph speed limit signs.
- Prohibit truck traffic. Potts Street was not designed for trucks.
- Reduce the width of the multi-use path to reduce impact on yards.
- Change the trajectory of South Main to reduce impact on The Green School and yards.
- Have only one lane in both roundabouts for safety purposes.
- Allow citizens time to process these plans and provide public comment.
Right-of-Way and Real Estate phases begin in October 2018. Construction begins January 2020.
Check this post for pictures of all these options.
Content for this post provided by Melissa Atherton of Davidson.
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