Estes Drive Extension Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements

We recently received notice from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) that the original preferred alternative for the Estes Extension project would be delayed until 2031 with significantly decreased funding. In response to this information, Town staff and our consultant have reworked the preferred alternative, which will still meet the safety and accessibility desired by the public and will have a lower cost.

The new roadway design will include:

• A raised 2-way cycle track and a 6’ sidewalk on the east side of the road from the railroad tracks to Seawell School Road
• Separated bike lanes on both sides and a 6’ sidewalk on the east side from Seawell School Road to MLK

For more information, see the Estes Drive Extension Preferred Alternative Memo - Feb. 2026 in the Documents section to the right.

The Town has selected a preferred alternative, to include:

• From the railway tracks to Seawell School Road, a 2-way cycle track and a multiuse path on the East side of the road.
• From Seawell School Road to MLK, protected bike lanes on both sides and a multi-use path.

Staff are working with the consultant to finalize details following a reduction in NCDOT funding.

The consultant is compiling the final materials. Staff are coordinating with NCDOT to recommend potential bike and pedestrian improvements. We’ll post the selected options here.

For the next several months, consultants for the Estes Dr. Extension and Bolin Creek Greenway Extension projects are conducting site surveys on and around properties in the project areas (map). What does this mean?

• They’ll collect data that we’ll use to develop the final project design
• They'll locate existing features like property lines, fences, telephone poles, large trees, and other important features to help them as well
• The specific areas in which the survey crews work doesn’t necessarily indicate the final location or extent of the projects

We appreciate your help in allowing the NV5 Engineers and Consultants to perform this necessary work!

Thanks to everyone who shared their perspectives on the Estes Drive Extension Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements. Ove the past few months we held multiple opportunities for public participation, including an open house, on-site pop-up, and a project website with an online community survey. The summary report of the public engagement period can be found here.

Community and stakeholder feedback is one of several factors that go into the decision about how to design and where to locate this project – or any of the Town's projects. We also consider user experience, NCDOT input, accessibility, environmental impacts, cost, safety, utilities, construction and maintenance considerations, and overall network connectivity.

Based on consideration of all the above factors, Town staff expect to recommend a preferred option to the Town Manager by late April. After that, our engineering and design firm will continue designing the selected option.

Thanks to all who joined us at our Open House or found us at our Pop Up in Umstead Park. We had a great turnout, lots of conversations, and captured many great ideas.

For folks who couldn’t make it, you can find all of the same information on this project webpage and we encourage you to fill out the project survey that is open through February 11th!

Ahead of Thursday's Open House (January 23, 2025, 6-8pm, Chapel Hill Public Library, Room B), a project factsheet and maps have been published in the "Documents" section.

The community input survey is live too and can be found on the top right tab of this section!

On January 23, 2025 from 6pm-8pm in Chapel Hill Public Library Room B, Town staff and the project consultant will hold a public open house for residents to learn about both projects, ask questions, and share their opinions on the different designs. Staff and consultant will share maps, renderings, and technical details about the different options for each project.