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Response: The staff recognizes that a large social cost would be involved with <br />constructing the Jack Bennett Road option. Therefore, a tentative recommendation is to <br />use the southern route alternative. However, there are some questions about <br />environmental concerns with the proposed alignment. Further study will be conducted <br />on this proposal. The staff recommends that we reserve the Jack Bennett option if at a <br />later date the southern alignment is not found to be a valid option. <br />NEVMLE ROAD - HICKORY GROVE CHURCH ROAD CONNECTOR <br />Bacltgroun 1: In an effort to develop a continuous circumferential route around the <br />western side of Carrboro, the recommended plan shows several new sections of road <br />linking existing roads. One of the proposed roads links Neville Road from NC 54 north <br />to Bethel Hickory Grove Church Road. <br />Comments: Neville Road residents stated that the proposed connector would pass directly <br />through their community destroying homes and a potential historic register structure, a <br />one -room schoolhouse. <br />Response: After closer study, the staff determined that the alignment shown would, in <br />fact, have an adverse impact on the neighborhood. The potential travel benefits to be <br />derived by the proposed connector do not appear to offset the adverse impact to the <br />potential historic site. This section of road has been removed from the recommended <br />plan entirely. Instead, a traffic engineering type safety improvement to the NC 54 - <br />Bethel Road intersection is proposed. <br />WHITFIELD ROAD AND WHITFIELD - EUBANKS CONNECTOR <br />Background: The adopted Chapel Hill- Carrbom Thoroughfare Plan shows Whitfield Road <br />as a minor arterial. The recommended plan shows Whitfield Road as a section of an <br />outer circumferential route around the northern and western sides of the area. Several <br />new sections of road are shown on the plan to link existing roads into a continuous <br />circumferential. A bridge over I-40 connecting Whitfield Road and Eubanks Road is <br />shown. These roads were continuous before I-40 construction. The entire circumferential <br />route is shown as a major thoroughfare on the recommended plan because functionally, <br />the route would serve as a major arterial and would provide an alternate to the congested <br />US 15 -501 for residents of northern Chapel Hill. It is projected that connecting the <br />existing routes into a continuous route will result in a minor increase in traffic volume, <br />but widening of the road is not anticipated within the 20 year study period. <br />2.9 <br />