Morrisville Town Center Plan - 2007

Chapter 3: Detailed Design

recreation and civic events. In addition, the plan also recommends the creation of a smaller children’s park immediately east of the planned civic/cultural facility, and a greenbelt park around a planned stormwater management pond between Chapel Hill Road and Cotten Drive north of Aviation Parkway. These facilities would be linked together by a network of sidewalks and greenways. A special effort should be made to link the Town Center area to the historic Shiloh Community to the north via the Indian Creek Greenway and additional sidewalks. Green space opportunities are described in more detail in the section on Public Spaces that follows.

through this intersection. Street “E” is being designed and built to connect Church Street with Town Hall Drive and reduce cut-through traffic in surrounding neighborhoods. In addition, Crabtree Crossing Extension is planned to connect Town Hall Drive south to Morrisville Parkway. New Road Improvements: The Town Center Design calls for additional road improvements as well. One of these would include turning Chapel Hill Road (NC 54) into a “one-way pair” in which two lanes of southbound traffic would continue to run in the existing road right of way, and two lanes of northbound traffic would be routed up Cotten Drive. This project would improve traffic flow at the intersection of Chapel Hill RoadandMorrisville-Carpenter Road/Aviation Parkway by moving left turns for eastbound traffic on Aviation Parkway heading north on Chapel Hill Road east away from the current intersection. It would also allow for two “through” lanes to be built in each direction heading north and south on Chapel Hill Road, as well as a southbound turn lane, which is currently difficult because of space constraints within the existing railroad right of way. This would also prevent the need for additional widening within the current road cross-section, enabling the historic structures that currently frame this intersection to remain in or close to their current location. The one-way pair might also signal to drivers that they are entering a unique location. The Town Center Design also recommends siting roundabouts at key locations to help mark the arrival in the core of the Town Center. These modern versions of the old traffic circle are carefully engineered improvements designed to slow traffic while keeping it moving to maintain traffic flow and provide a safer pedestrian environment. Two primary locations for considering traffic circles include:

The Town Center Plan proposes several new public parks that would be linked together by greenways. (Photo: Town of Morrisville)

Section 2: Transportation

Overview As Morrisville transitions rapidly from a rural crossroads community to a small town in the heart of the Triangle, its road network also needs to go through a similar evolution. A number of road improvements have already been initiated at the intersection of Chapel Hill RoadandMorrisville-Carpenter Road/Aviation Parkway to help move traffic more efficiently

• The intersection of Church Street and

31 │ Town Center Plan

January 2007