GREENSBORO, N.C. — Benjamin Parkway is going to be widened to six lanes with pedestrian and bicycle improvements.
NCDOT recently proposed various improvements to Benjamin Parkway from North Holden Road to West Wendover Avenue.
The projected length of the project will be 1.2 miles.
Why is this happening?
North Carolina Department of Transportation predicts that traffic will get worse in the coming years. Because of this, they believe this will be a regionally significant roadway project.
NCDOT says the purpose of this project is to reduce traffic congestion and improve flow in that area.
They say by 2040, Benjamin Parkway/Bryan Boulevard is projected to be near or over capacity, and improvements are needed to relieve congestion.
A traffic forecast was completed in December 2017 and it said along the corridor, there are between 28- and 48,000 vehicles that travel in this area each day.
That range is set to increase to between 35- and 55,000 by 2040.
Your input needed
Public comments will help the department select the option that best matches the needs and community preferences, or identify if changes should be considered. All public comments must be made by November 18th at this website.
The project will cost $14.5 million.
What will change?
Fairway Drive at southbound Benjamin Parkway will operate as a stop-controlled intersection with only right-in and right-out access.
Pembroke Road and Cornwallis Drive will be converted to reduced conflict intersections, this means left turns from Pembroke Road and Cornwallis will be prohibited. A reduced conflict intersection is, "sometimes referred to as a super street, a synchronized street, or a median U-turn is a general term used to describe several types of designs that can be used to improve safety and traffic flow on a highway by cutting more than half of the potential locations, or conflict points, where drivers and pedestrians can collide," NCDOT explained.
Both alternatives will widen to the east to add a through lane, turn lane, and sidewalks on the northbound side. They will also convert the Fairway Drive intersection to right-in/right-out-only access to Benjamin Parkway. Both designs would also improve intersections at Pembroke Road and Cornwallis Drive to prevent conflicts and add pedestrian crossing improvements. The second alternative would provide sidewalks on the southbound side, in place of the breakdown/multi-use lane.
According to NCDOT's website, they are considering two project alternatives.
See below:
Proposed Design
To avoid, minimize, and balance impacts, two project alternatives have been developed. Both alternatives are the same when comparing vehicular travel lanes and improving intersections.
Both alternatives will:
- Add an additional northbound through lane from Green Valley Road to the Holden Road interchange
- Add a right turn lane on northbound Benjamin Parkway to Green Valley Road
- Add a sidewalk along the northbound side from Pembroke Road to West Cornwallis Drive
- Add an additional southbound through lane from Wendover Avenue near Green Valley Road to Benjamin Parkway
- Fairway Drive at southbound Benjamin Parkway will operate as a stop-controlled intersection with right-in/right-out only access to Benjamin Parkway
- Pembroke Road and Cornwallis Drive intersections will be converted to Reduced Conflict Intersections (RCI). This means that left turns from Pembroke Road and Cornwallis Drive will be prohibited to increase efficiency and safety at the intersections. A U-turn movement would be provided for traffic from Cornwallis Drive in the triangular ramp location near Gracewood Drive.
The difference between the two alternatives is how they will treat the existing multi-use lane on Benjamin Parkway southbound between Northampton Drive and Pembroke Road.
Alternative 1 would preserve the existing multi-use lane.
Alternative 2 would convert the existing multi-use lane to a 5-foot sidewalk providing sidewalks on both sides.
Widening of the roadway will occur on the east side to minimize impacts to the historic district and residential properties on the west side of Benjamin Parkway/Bryan Boulevard. Several community features are located along the project corridor including a park (Guilford Hills Park), a historic district (Starmount Mid-Century Historic District), and residential properties. Efforts will be made to avoid/minimize and balance impacts to the extent practicable.