Saturday, Jul. 21, 2012

Lengthy Holly Springs bypass project begins

Superstreet installation could take rest of year

Hundreds of barrels along the N.C. 55 Bypass mark the start of one of the largest road construction projects ever to lay pavement here.

For the next six months or more, crews will work on a set of controversial new “superstreets” at the traffic artery’s intersections with Green Oaks Parkway and Holly Springs Road. The intersections will serve traffic from New Hill Place, soon to be Holly Springs’ largest commercial development.

When complete, the redesign will bar drivers on the smaller roads from crossing or turning left onto the bypass. To make a left onto the bypass, drivers at the superstreets would first turn right, then make a U-turn at another traffic signal several hundred feet down the road.

The developer, Kite Realty Group, also will install the new designs at the bypass’s intersections with a new four-lane road around the back of the new mall.

The project is the most significant roadwork Holly Springs has seen since construction of the bypass itself, said Stephanie Sudano, the town’s director of engineering.

She expects traffic to slow down as it passes the several-hundred-yard stretches of construction equipment and warning signs, but she says actual delays should be minimal.

“They’re going to try to do most of the work on (the bypass) at night,” Sudano said. “There shouldn’t be any lane closures during the day.”

However, the developer’s crews may do obstructive daytime road work on Green Oaks Parkway and New Hill Road and may work alongside the bypass during the day.

Kite expects to finish roadwork by the end of the year, according to the town, while Target Corporation plans to open its store at New Hill Place next March. Representatives of Kite Realty Group didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment on the roadside construction.

The bypass also will see construction on a nearby project this year: The structure of an I-540 bridge over the road already has taken shape.