The plans for the Southeast High Speed Rail corridor through Wake Forest would close the East Elm Avenue crossing and would impact a historic property and family cemetery to build a vehicle bridge on Ligon Mill Road.
          “We’re still fighting that,” Mayor Vivian Jones said Monday about closing the Elm crossing. She added that the town is suggesting different alternatives for the Ligon Mill bridge to leave the property and cemetery untouched.
          Commissioner Margaret Stinnett emphasized that the town and its residents need to have continued access east and west even with the high-speed passenger rail, and others like Commissioner Anne Hines worried about the impact on the historic brick buildings along South White Street. The railroad right-of-way extends to the buildings’ back walls. Will occupants be able to use their back doors? Deputy Town Manager Roe O’Donnell said that was a question for later that would involve fire safety and other issues. And then there is the question of the waterline behind the buildings in the right-of-way. O’Donnell said the vibration from the future passenger trains will be less than that from today’s freight trains.
          The Brick Street crossing will be closed. At Juniper Avenue, where the crossing was closed more than 20 years ago, a pedestrian bridge is proposed. The 1930s Underpass will remain and will be more than adequate. It was over-designed and designed to carry heavy tank traffic in those days before World War II.
          Below Elm, Town Manager Mark Williams said West Holding Avenue will finally meet East Holding. The plan is to extend West Holding across South Main Street on the present Dunn Avenue, tunnel under the rail line and curve the street back to meet East Holding.
          The Friendship Chapel Road crossing will be closed. Andy Ammons provided land for a bridge at the Rogers Road crossing when he built Heritage.
          “With the exception of Elm, the other [crossings] are those DOT had been planning to close anyway,” Williams said.
          One new access east and west in the future will be along the planned Northern Loop. A section from the back of the Flaherty Farms subdivision and the new Franklin Academy high school to North White Street is being built.
          O’Donnell said stimulus funds for the next section which includes a tunnel for traffic under the rail line did not come through. Now the town and DOT are waiting on funding from the high-speed rail funds which will not be available until at least 2012 or 2013. The decision has been made for a tunnel because west of the rail line the land slopes down rather steeply.
          The final section of the Northern Loop will be along the existing Harris Road from North Main to Capital Boulevard, skirting the new E. Carroll Joyner Park. O’Donnell said there are no plans to widen or improve that road now; that is too far in the future.
          Another concern during Monday’s mid-year retreat was easier access to Joyner Park by sidewalk or greenway, and Planning Director Chip Russell said his department is considering plans for a sidewalk plus greenway trail section along and near West Oak Avenue.
          The public comment period for the southeast high speed rail project has been extended to Sept. 10. If you want to comment, go to www.sehsr.org.