Update: You can continue to expect delays on South Main Street (U.S. 1-A) as the contractor, Asphalt Experts, finishes work on the west side (the right side heading south) and begins work on the east side where they will install curb and gutter, a sidewalk, a bike lane and a new travel lane. The project should be completed this fall.
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At least one lane of the very, very last section of the Dr. Calvin Jones Highway (N.C. 98 bypass) is open to traffic and the completion should not be far behind. We hope to provide you a date next week.
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The two-block section of South Taylor Street behind the new Wake Forest Town Hall and in front of the Wake Forest Police Department is open for traffic. It stretches from East Elm Avenue to Wait Avenue. There is still some construction needed in a short section next to East Elm where heavy construction traffic is going to and from the site of the former town hall and the future retention pond and parking area.
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Drivers heading east on Wait Avenue from South White Street will find a new connection to Roosevelt Avenue/Wait Avenue. The turn is now striped for a T intersection, replacing the slanting merge intersection that was there formerly.
In response to a question about the change, Public Works Director Mike Barton wrote: “Roe (Deputy Town Manager Roe O’Donnell) and his staff discussed it during construction. [They decided to] make it a T intersection so as not to interfere with the stop [sign] at S. Taylor St. The town street crew did everything but the road marking which was done by the Taylor Street contractor the same day we put the stop in and they marked Taylor.”
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The section of East Jones Avenue between the new section of South Taylor Street and Brooks Street will be closed beginning Aug. 2 while Atwell Construction rebuilds the existing roadway. Hopes are the street will re-open the week of Aug. 16. Previously the street ended at a parking lot for La Foresta. The town board added $33,236.78 to the contract with Atwell for the work at its July 20 meeting.
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On June 23 the N.C. Department of Transportation closed all of Jones Dairy Road – from Averette Road to the Dr. Calvin Jones Highway (the N.C. 98 bypass) to all but local traffic. The busy road with several subdivisions and Jones Dairy Elementary School will remain closed until June 15, 2011, or until Atwell Construction Company from Greenville completes construction on two new bridges.
The company will first rebuild the bridge over Austin Creek, the creek nearest the intersection with Chalks Road and the entrance to Bowling Green subdivision, and then move north to rebuild the bridge over Smith Creek.
At the same time as the work at Austin Creek, the town of Wake Forest has contracted with Triangle Paving and Grading to relocate Chalks Road to move its intersection with Jones Dairy Road farther south and meet the Bowling Green entrance. The contract was for $856,057.69, substantially lower than the engineer’s estimate of $1,296,276.05. Wetherill Engineering will provide construction oversight and testing for $95,465.19.
Traffic on Chalks Road will not be disturbed by the relocation. Residents will be able to use Jones Dairy Road to reach Chalks Road and its residences and the Franklin Academy charter school.
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The area is seeing a lot of repaving by state Department of Transportation contractors this spring and summer. Purnell Road, Forestville Road, Ligon Mill Road, Stony Hill Road and New Light Road either have new asphalt or will soon along with redone shoulders.
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Wake Forest Director of Engineering Eric Keravuori said recently the construction of a new middle school near the intersection of Burlington Mills Road and U.S. 401 will necessitate placing a traffic signal at the Burlington Mills and Forestville roads intersection. There will be some significant changes to the intersection as a result with additional turning lanes.
The middle school will be called Rolesville Middle School, and it and a planned Rolesville High School will cause name changes for Wake Forest schools, the Wake County Board of Education has informally agreed.