Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
January 29, 1991 <br />To: Board of County Commissioners <br />From: Edward N. Mann, Jr. <br />8422 Stanford Road <br />Chapel Hill, N. C. 27516 <br />Subject: Proposed widening of Highway 54 <br />This letter is to let you know of my opposition to the proposed widening <br />of Highway 54, and of my reasons for the opposition. <br />As a resident.of Bingham Township (Stanford Road) for the past 20 years I <br />am familiar with the traffic volume on that roadway. I drive to work in <br />Chapel Hill and return home five times each week. Also, we attend UNC <br />football games and basketball games on a regular basis. Also, we drive to <br />both Chapel Hill and Burlington for shopping, entertainment, etc. I must _ <br />have made 10,000 trips on that road. <br />Highway 54 is not overly crowded, not even close. At peak daily times in <br />the morning and afternoon commutes there is a great deal of traffic, but <br />it is nowhere near dangerous or inefficient. Even on the worst of days- - <br />football Saturdays - -the increased traffic is not an overload situation. <br />If you want to see what it is really like I invite you to drive from <br />Carrboro to Graham at anytime between nine in the morning and four in <br />the afternoon. You will be amazed at how light the traffic is at that <br />time. It is always a surprise to me to drive that approximate 20 miles and <br />not meet more that 10 to 12 cars at that time of day. <br />It is difficult to understand how the numbers were obtained to indicate <br />the capacity use concerns. My feelings are that Highway 54 is nowhere <br />near capacity, and the proof is in the seeing that I do on a daily basis. <br />And, I can tell you, it-just ain't so. Before this idea gets very far I <br />would request that Orange County do some counting of its own. DOT's <br />numbers are misleading. <br />- . �e <br />42 <br />