Chapel Hill announces future W. Cameron Avenue bike infrastructure

GOVERNMENT

By Adam Powell
Correspondent

The Town of Chapel Hill recently announced on its website that it has secured funding from the United States government to allow new bike lanes along West Cameron Avenue. The town is holding a public meeting on the evening of Thursday, April 10, at Chapel Hill Town Hall to allow for public feedback and communication.

The infrastructure, which is planned to run along West Cameron Avenue from Merritt Mill Road to North Columbia Street, should be popular not only with Chapel Hill residents who live nearby but also with scores of UNC-Chapel Hill students who use that area to get to and from their classes.

“In response to community interests, the Town has secured federal funding for the design and construction of protected bike infrastructure on West Cameron Avenue from Merritt Mill Road to North Columbia Street,” the website explains. “West Cameron Avenue is a main route for people on bikes traveling to and from UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus.” 

Bikers who may be concerned about riding through this relatively busy thoroughfare of Chapel Hill can rest assured that the town is looking out for their safety. Town leaders are looking to implement a safety barrier of some kind – be it an elevated separation or another means of distinction – to create space between the bikers who use the new infrastructure, and the automobiles going along West Cameron Avenue. The town referred to the infrastructure as ‘protected,’ although it hasn’t yet specified exactly what that protection will be.

The town has proposed three potential scenarios for the new infrastructure, including the possibility of a two-way cycle track or either side of West Cameron Avenue, or a pair of one-way bike lanes on opposite sides. of West Cameron Lane. Plans also call for a concrete buffer or other type of separation for safety.

“Protected” means that the bike lanes will be physically separated from the vehicle travel lanes by a raised concrete buffer or something that offers similar protection,” the town website states.

Along with the bike infrastructure, the town will also complete the street resurfacing of West Cameron Avenue at the same time. This will make the road much more passable and efficient in the coming years.

In 2023, the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) began replacing waterlines along West Cameron Avenue, which created not only logistical challenges for bikers and auto commuters but also additional passage concerns as the street was pulled up and patched back together. The waterline replacement work has been finished over the past few months.

Chapel Hill has hired McAdams, a full-service planning, design, and engineering firm with offices in Raleigh and Durham, to lead the design and engineering phase of the project. The town staff has projected that the project will take a year and a half to complete. Town leaders are hopeful to begin the project in the summer or fall of 2026, which means it will likely be completed in mid-to-late 2027 or early 2028.

The project timeline began last year, as the town collected data and field surveys, which have provided Chapel Hill planning staff with the necessary data to understand the possible options for the bike infrastructure. The city also began coordinating with the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the Town of Carrboro, and UNC-Chapel Hill, who all have a long-term stake in the project’s success. The town has finalized three potential options this spring, which will be presented at the upcoming April 10 meeting.

Alternative 1 of the proposed bike infrastructure options includes a 5-foot by 2-foot wide two-way cycle track. The two-way vehicular lanes would be 11 feet wide, with an additional 8 feet for street parking. A 3-foot-wide concrete buffer would separate the cycle track on West Cameron Avenue’s east side from the on-street parking. Combined with the 8 feet of on-street parking, there would be approximately 11 feet at a minimum distance between the passing cyclists and those driving along West Cameron Avenue. For a complete map of Alternative 1, visit here.

Alternative 2 of the proposed bike infrastructure places the 5-foot by 2-foot two-way cycle track closer to oncoming traffic on the opposite side of West Cameron Avenue. There would still be a 3-foot wide concrete buffer separating the cyclists from the motorists, who will have the same 11 feet in width for the two-way lanes as in Alternative 1. The on-street parking remains on the same side of West Cameron Avenue as in Alternative 1, but opposite the two-way vehicular lanes on the other side of the road from the two-way cycle track. For a complete map of Alternative 2, visit here.

In Alternative 3, there would be a pair of 6-foot side one-way bicycle lanes on opposite sides of West Cameron Avenue, with 4-foot wide concrete buffers separating the cyclists from the motorists. In this proposed scenario, there would not be any on-street parking – just the two one-way bike lanes going in opposite directions, the 4-foot wide concrete buffers, and the 11 feet of two-way vehicular lanes in the middle. For a complete map of Alternative three, visit here.

Along with the bike lanes and concrete barriers, the town is also considering the possibility of a new roundabout at Merritt Mill Road at its intersection with West Cameron Avenue

Along with the three scenarios for two-way vehicular and bike traffic, the town could construct a mini-roundabout at South Merritt Mill Road, near its intersection with West Cameron Avenue, adjacent to Hunt Electric Supply Company and the Cameron-Graham Parking Lot. The town will conduct traffic impact analysis studies and additional research to determine the feasibility of such a mini-roundabout. The mini-roundabout would include access for the bike lanes under each of the proposed scenarios.

Residents interested in public engagement can participate in the improvements survey or attend the April 10 meeting at Chapel Hill Town Hall from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m..

Adam Powell has been a correspondent for The Local Reporter since 2023. A 2001 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, Powell has served as managing editor of multiple local publications, including the News of Orange County, the Mebane Enterprise, the Caswell Messenger, and the ACC Sports Journal. Powell has won more than 20 North Carolina Press Association Awards throughout his journalism career for Excellence in Education Reporting, Excellence in Sports Columns and Features, and Excellence in Video Production. He has also been recognized by the North Carolina School Public Relations Association (NCSPRA) for Excellence in Education Writing and for his newsletters representing Rockingham County Schools and the North Carolina Cyber Academy. The author of four books. Adam currently resides in Mebane with his wife Julie and children Colt and Jenna. This reporter can be reached at:Information@TheLocal Reporter.press