Closing this downtown Chapel Hill road caused backups. Here’s when it could reopen.

Tammy Grubb

A key street in downtown Chapel Hill could reopen to traffic as early as Monday, easing months of congestion, town officials said Friday.

The 100 block of East Rosemary Street, between North Columbia and Henderson streets, has been closed since August to let construction crews use a crane to install massive concrete sections of a new public parking deck.

Crews were clearing the last of the construction debris from the street on Thursday and will continue to work on the parking deck, which could open by summer.

The street closure has forced drivers downtown to use Franklin Street, which is already a busy thoroughfare that narrows to one lane near the North Columbia intersection. Many drivers heading west used Hillsborough Street to get around downtown instead, regularly backing up the winding, two-lane road.

Downtown business owners, including Chris Carini, who closed Linda’s Bar & Grill earlier this year, have said the construction has also kept customers away. Drivers unfamiliar with local traffic have been seen turning around at the barricades, including on Friday, while looking for a route around town.

Chapel Hill closed the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at North Columbia Street and North Street in January 2024 to create a safer intersection alignment. The work is adding a traffic light, sidewalks and pedestrian crossings.
Chapel Hill closed the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at North Columbia Street and North Street in January 2024 to create a safer intersection alignment. The work is adding a traffic light, sidewalks and pedestrian crossings.

Other roads in Chapel Hill opening

Other road closures that have exacerbated the downtown traffic problem could be resolved soon, including:

▪ A $6 million project that’s adding new travel lanes, sidewalks, bike lanes and a multi-use path on North Estes Drive from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Caswell Road has kept the westbound lane closed for two years. Traffic in both directions could be restored in May.

▪ An intersection redesign on MLK Jr. Boulevard near downtown closed North Street and North Columbia Street, behind the town’s Fire Station No. 1, in January. North Street is now open at MLK Jr. Boulevard; no word yet on when the North Columbia Street side could reopen.

The project is “squaring up” the intersection to make it more safe for drivers and pedestrians, adding sidewalks, marked crosswalks and a traffic signal. A rear exit from the new parking deck is also being added on North Street.

An 1,100-space parking deck at 125 E. Rosemary St. is nearing the end of construction in downtown Chapel Hill. The public parking deck could open later this year.
An 1,100-space parking deck at 125 E. Rosemary St. is nearing the end of construction in downtown Chapel Hill. The public parking deck could open later this year.

East Rosemary parking deck details

▪ Location: 125 E. Rosemary St., Chapel Hill

▪ Cost: $51 million

▪ Details: Construction of an 1,100-space public parking deck with a ground-floor patio that will feature pop-up and food truck spaces

▪ Why was it needed: The town decided to replace the 30-year-old Wallace Parking Deck at 150 E. Rosemary St. instead of making critical repairs and adding another level. The new deck will double the parking available on East Rosemary Street, although UNC and developer Grubb Properties plan to lease some of those spaces.

▪ What happened: The council worked with Grubb Properties to arrange a land swap — the Wallace deck for Grubb’s CVS parking deck at 125 E. Rosemary St. Once the new parking deck is built, Grubb Properties can move ahead with plans to demolish the Wallace deck and replace it with a seven-story, wet lab and office building. Grubb is also poised to build a seven-story apartment building at 101 E. Rosemary St.

▪ More information: newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/orange-county/article286217820.html

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