Title
Presentation on safety issues concerning O’Kelly Chapel Road in Chatham County
Abstract
Action Requested: Receive presentation
Introduction & Background: The concerns are about the very dangerous situation on O’Kelly Chapel Road in Chatham County, about a 2.4 mile stretch. This old winding country road has deer, joggers and bikers but not too much too much development currently in Chatham County. There is however an enormous amount of development (either existing or currently under construction) at either end of O’Kelly Chapel Road. O’Kelly Chapel Road is the major connecting road between several major malls, two movie theatres, a bowling alley, three day care centers, a super market, hundreds of small shops and restaurants, residential housing (houses, condos, apartments) with well over 10,000 residents and RTP with 60,000 employees. These dense developed areas are found mostly just over the county line in two adjacent counties, nearby in Durham County and nearby in Wake County. These developed areas are within 2 - 3 miles of each end of O’Kelly Chapel Road in Chatham.
Discussion & Analysis: The purpose of speaking to the Chatham BOC about O’Kelly Chapel Road is twofold:
1. Long Term Improvements:
Assure they will receive the proper priority with the DCHC MPO. The understanding is that even with a high priority the actual improvement is probably at best a year away
• Add wide shoulders
• Add a center median
• Install a traffic light at the four-way intersection of O’Kelly Chapel and Del Webb Avenue
• Make additional safety improvements to the 45° intersection of O’Kelly Chapel Road and Route 751
• Make additional improvements at the 45 ° intersection onto Pittard Sears Road (add turn lane)
NOTE: Assure the above will receive the proper priority within the DCHC MPO. Even with a high priority the improvements are probably at best a year away.
2. Interim Fix:
Most important is to move the deep drainage away from road. This unforgiving, winding, unlit, has a unreasonably high speed limit (50 mph) in most areas, poor speed enforcement, deer running out on the road, bikers, joggers, and worst of all no shoulders for evasive action from an oncoming vehicle, only a 2.5 to 3+foot sharp drop off in many areas for a drainage ditch. Without reasonable shoulders and/or elimination or moving of the deep drainage ditch on O’Kelly Chapel Road there is no way to safely avoid a head-on collision. Even if the drainage ditch was filled in with rocks it would allow a safe emergency path to escape a head on collision.
The request is for some type of joint Chatham County & DOT Div. 8 “emergency funding”
• Contingency Funds?
• SPOT funding?
• Special Assessment District partnership?
Budgetary Impact:
Recommendation: Receive Presentation