The state has dropped plans for a controversial bypass around historic Churton Street, a DOT official said Thursday.
“Overwhelmingly, we have gotten negative comments and opposition to the project,” Jamille Robbins, of the Department of Transportation’s Human Environment Unit, told Chapel Hill News correspondent Tammy Grubb today.
Since it was proposed in 1969, the Elizabeth Brady Road extension had faced tough opposition. Last year, more than 1,000 residents signed a petition against building the road, saying it would harm Hillsborough’s natural and cultural resources, as well as force residents to move. The road was expected to pass through historic sites Ayr Mount and the Occonneechee-Orange Speedway.
Hillsborough Mayor Pro Tem Mike Gering was glad to hear the news. “That is consistent with everyone’s position,” he told Grubb. “This decision is fiscally responsible and sensitive to the community’s needs.”
