No, not any missing links in the human evolutionary history. The missing links are the Wake Forest streets that end here, pick up a few blocks away or the extensions of existing streets to other streets that would provide access and ease traffic congestion.
“Eric [Keravuori, director of the town’s engineering department] and I have been working on this for a couple months,” Planning Director Chip Russell told the mayor and town commissioners Tuesday evening during their monthly work session. He passed out large sheets – a map of the town’s streets with possible links shown in blue and a list of the 24 streets involved.
The first section of the list was for the already-funded public projects: totally rebuilding the 700 feet of Caddell Street between Spring Street and Pearce Avenue, which will be begun this year, and building the 460-foot extension of Grandmark Avenue to connect it to Rogers Road, where the plans are complete, funding is assured and construction will be done in 2016.
The second section was labeled Developer Projects, seven streets where developers do plan to open or extend streets, usually after a certain number of homes are complete, a move to reduce construction traffic on existing subdivision streets. One of those projects, the extension of Brooks Street from near East Holding Avenue to an existing spur from Elm Avenue, is already underway as part of the construction of an 80-unit townhouse development between Franklin Street, Brooks and the Renaissance Plaza. Greenville Loop Road is complete but through traffic is prevented by large concrete barricades, though Russell said, “Somebody has been moving them to use the road.”
The third section – 15 projects – range from the 60 feet needed to connect Sand Hollow Circle in the Clearspring subdivision (developed and still under county jurisdiction) to Heritage to the 5,400 feet to build a street through town-owned land from the end of Foundation Drive to Old Crawford Road and further to Steeple Run Drive while also connecting to an extension of Heritage Branch Road.
“It will be our nickel,” Russell said of that last project, partly because the town-owned land was purchased for open space and recreational use. The town can look for funding, but he suggested the road would be “more of a two-lane with wider shoulders and swales, Blue Ridge Parkway-style.” Russell said he is talking with Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department Director Ruben Wall. “When he can help us see how this piece can be developed for use, that will tell us how to build the road.”
Russell explained that a small connection for Pineview Drive, 700 feet, to connect to Woodland Drive would allow for some infill lots. Connecting two parts of South Wingate might take a bit more money because the drop into the creek there is steeper. “The right-of-way is still there. It’s doable,” Russell said after Commissioner Margaret Stinnett said she though the land had been abandoned and given to adjacent owner. There is a short dirt section in South Allen Road and the connection was never made between the section built by the state to serve North Wake Hospital and the much newer Deacons Ridge subdivision. Deputy Town Manager and Russell agreed there is a waterline close to the surface there, but the larger reason is that the town agreed not to allow the connection until the bypass was completed.
He asked the board to prioritize and give him a list of their top five or ten projects. Mayor Vivian Jones immediately had four top projects: Brewers Circle, South Allen Road (“Those two are rather approachable and probably could be done in a year or two.”), Pineview and the Star Road extension to connect it to the South Forest Business Park.
“It’s economic development,” Commissioner Jim Thompson said, because it would provide more access and more land that could be added to the business park.
Russell suggested connecting Star Road to the north to avoid the railroad crossing if it goes south, and discussion turned to how to connect Star Road to Ligon Mill Road and Connector Drive to Ligon Mill Road.
“I think we should go big,” Stinnett said, and finish up the park.
There was a discussion about who owns what lands between Star and Ligon Mill roads without a lot of consensus.
All the board members seemed to think it would be a good idea to connect Forest Road to Wake Drive just off South Main Street. O’Donnell said, “The right-of-way is there and a set of plans are ready to go, just been finished.”
Another pretty popular project was connecting Rolling Acres Road serving a subdivision in Franklin County with Fulworth Avenue in the Franklin County section of Richland Hills subdivision. The 200 feet needed would be all in the subdivision.
