 Fall 2017
Sidewalk Projects
 New Sidewalk on Northclift Drive
The City of Raleigh is dedicated to becoming a more walkable
city, this is evident with some new sidewalks that are springing up around the
City this summer, and we will see even more sidewalks built this fall.
The City has a Comprehensive Pedestrian Plan that
provides strategies for enhancing Raleigh's transportation system to promote
walkability throughout the City. One of those strategies is the building of new
sidewalks, and as budgeting allows the Roadway Design & Construction
Division oversees the design and construction of sidewalks highly ranked in the
pedestrian plan.
 The City initiated sidewalk construction this summer is along the east side of Bloodworth Street near Martin Luther King Boulevard, N. Raleigh Boulevard, and West Millbrook Road. Currently, construction has begun on the new sidewalks at the south end of Person Street and Blount Street as well as Hoke Street. This fall and winter a new sidewalk will be installed on the north side of Oakwood Avenue between N. Fisher St. and Raleigh Boulevard.
Some of Raleigh’s neighborhood streets are also in the process of receiving new sidewalks. The City offers a Sidewalk Petition Program, which provides citizens an opportunity to initiate sidewalks along residential neighborhood streets that are not part of the City’s Pedestrian Plan.
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 Just in time for back to school, a new sidewalk was installed on Frank Street across from Conn Elementary School, and Tyrell Road has a new sidewalk helping the kids stay safe as they walk to Brooks Elementary School. Northclift Drive also has a new sidewalk, making the walk to Optimist Park easier for some residents along the street, and this fall, new sidewalks will also be built along Ravenwood Drive and Melbourne Road.
Raleigh citizens will see more new neighborhood sidewalks installed this fall, and in early 2018. Orleans Place, Cranbrook Drive, Manchester Drive, Wimbleton Drive, and Yadkin Drive are all slated to begin construction in late 2017 and scheduled for completion by spring 2018.
It has been a busy year for sidewalks and 2018 looks to continue the trend for additional sidewalk projects, making Raleigh a more walkable city.
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Buck Jones Road Widening Project
 The new roundabout at Farmgate Road is starting to take shape
The first section of a new box culvert on the east side of Buck Jones Road near Bashford Road was installed this summer, and new sanitary sewer and water mains were installed over the top of the culvert. The contractor has a traffic shift scheduled for this fall at which time the second half of the culvert is scheduled for installation. New curb and gutter and sidewalks are being installed between Farm Gate Road and Bashford Road, and a traffic shift is scheduled in the coming weeks as the contractor begins construction of a new roundabout at Farm Gate Road.
Hillsborough Street Renewal Project, Phase II
 An old abandoned underground storage tank was found in front of J & J Auto
Work on the north side of the construction corridor continues. Curb and gutter and driveway aprons between Brooks Avenue and Gardner Street are scheduled to wrap up this week, including the driveway apron at the Brooks Avenue parking lot for NC State. An old abandoned underground storage tank was found in front of J & J Auto from when it was a gas station. The tank has been removed, and crews will finish installing the storm drains in that location in the coming weeks. A team recently began work on the new sanitary sewer main and storm water system on Shepherd Street. Shepherd Street, Bagwell Avenue, and Brooks Avenue are all scheduled to reopen to through traffic by the end of September. For the latest updates on the Hillsborough Street project follow the project on Facebook or visit the project website.
Mitchell Mill Road Widening Project
 A crew installs a section of the new box culvert across the street near Culpepper Drive
At the beginning of August, the contractor implemented a new temporary traffic shift between Louisburg Road and the Wake Cross Roads Baptist Church. New sidewalk and driveways aprons are evident on the north side of the corridor between Louisburg Road and Round Oak Road and between Single Leaf Lane and the Wake Cross Roads Baptist Church on the south side. The contractor also finished installing a box culvert across the street near Culpepper Drive, and preparations are ongoing for the installation of a double box culvert at Forestville Road later this fall.
 This summer the public art sculpture was installed
The Sandy Forks Road Project is complete, including a public art sculpture that was installed this summer, and the City is anticipating the installation of educational signage and benches along the corridor in late September. Roadway Design/Construction Division Manager, Chris Johnson and the City’s Communication Department are putting together a series of videos that will showcase many of the projects sustainable features and explain some of the benefits of these features. We anticipate the release of this video sometime this fall.
Design News:
Our engineers continue to work with design consultants and
our in-house CADD team on roadway and sidewalk projects throughout the
City. Our street projects are broken into three categories, Capital Improvement
Projects (CIP), Petition Projects, and Traffic Calming Projects.
CIP projects are generally along high volume roadways and
are part of the City’s long-term planning process and a bridge between the
City’s Comprehensive Plan and short-term planning for infrastructure. An example
of a CIP project in the design phase would be Tryon Road.
Street Petition Projects are neighborhood streets projects
initiated by property owners through the Street Improvement Petition Program. Improvements may include paving of gravel streets, the addition of
curbs and gutters or resurfacing of streets that do not have curbs and gutters.
Upon completion, a portion of the project cost is passed to the abutting
property owners in the form of an assessment. An example of a Petition Project
would be Lorimer Road. Traffic Calming Projects are large scale
Neighborhood Streetscape Projects that have been approved by City
Council. The Roadway Design/Construction Division oversees the preparation of
design plans, as well as oversees the construction of the project.
 Transportation Bond Proposal Map
The Raleigh City Council has authorized a referendum on October 10, 2017, for a $ 206.7-million transportation bond to improve streets throughout the City. Funds generated by these revenue bonds would allow the City to construct projects and implement programs that improve multimodal transportation options for many residents and visitors across the City.
Other News:
Sidewalk Petition Community Involvement Meeting
To help residents of Raleigh’s Woodcrest neighborhood understand the Sidewalk Petition process, the City held its first Sidewalk Petition Community Involvement Meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 30, at Lions Park. City staff was on hand to explain the recent review of existing sidewalk conditions in the area and staff’s recommendations for new sidewalk along several streets petitioned for the neighborhood. The meeting had an excellent turnout, and the staff looks forward to future meetings of this kind in other neighborhoods.
 Meet James Plescher and Donetta Powell, our Assessment and Petition Section staff are this quarter’s staff highlight. James and Donetta assist Raleigh residents with the street and sidewalk petition process by determining if petitions meet eligibility requirements and prepare petition packets for petitioners to route to abutting property owners.
They also calculate estimated assessment fees by reviewing as-built construction plans and prepare assessment rolls and bring them before City Council for authorization.
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