Thursday, August 9, 2018

The City Public Works Department removed the flashing lights at the intersection of North Main Street and Creekway Drive yesterday, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018.

In May, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) switched the lights to flash only to prepare local drivers for the change. Crews will remove the traffic signal poles and control boxes later this year.

Sprucing up the intersection of North Main Street and Creekway Drive was one of the goals in the City’s North Main Small Area Plan.

North Main Street Small Area Plan

North Main Street is a primary gateway into downtown Lenoir. Anyone driving from Boone to downtown Lenoir using Google maps will be routed onto Creekway Drive and North Main Street.

In 2014, the City Planning Department started working on developing the North Main Small Area plan.

“North Main Street is an important first impression and there are a lot of great assets on that street,” Planning Director Jenny Wheelock said. “Local residents use the street daily, so it made a lot of sense to study the area and see what investments the City could make to help spur more private investment.”

As far as City investments, the plan called for a road diet and median project at the intersection of North Main and Creekway.

When staff approached NCDOT about encroachment permits, NCDOT asked the City to consider removing the light. (A previous City release said the City asked NCDOT to consider removing the light, but that is incorrect.) Council agreed to the NCDOT study, which concluded that the traffic signals were not needed.

The City finished up the road diet earlier this year. Crews installed a landscaped median on North Main Street, poured new curb and gutter on North Main at the intersection, and repaved North Main from Creekway to Ashe Avenue NW in downtown.

“We always received a lot of positive response on that idea for the intersection,” Wheelock said. “It’s great to see it finally implemented, and we’ve already seen some private investment at the intersection.”

In addition to investments at North Main Street and Creekway Drive, the City has made investments and improvements to J.E. Broyhill Park.

So far, workers have removed three dilapidated shelters, the old restrooms, the old park office, and the old basketball court.

The City built three new picnic shelters; installed new picnic tables, trash cans, and grills; graded and filled the lower section of the park; planted landscaping; graded and installed asphalt for the new basketball court; and built new restrooms by the upper parking lot.

Workers are currently installing fencing around the basketball court and prepping the upper parking lot for new curb and gutter and asphalt.

Photos on Flickr

EPA grant will fund work at J.E. Broyhill Park, 7/26/2018

NCDOT approved removing traffic lights at Creekway and North Main, 5/4/2018

20180809-Lights_removed_at_North_Main_and_Creekway.pdf

Online the City website at https://bit.ly/2M9g5nj.