Chapel Hill neighbors shocked to find I-40 project could plow road through their homes

Eugene Casale isn’t sure if his home of 28 years in northern Chapel Hill will be there another 20 years after seeing a plan for the state’s $161 million widening of Interstate 40.

Casele and other Northwood residents were wary of future traffic spilling into their streets when a developer proposed Carraway Village, a 55-acre mixed-use project across Eubanks Road. The developer worked with the N.C. Department of Transportation and the town to plan a wider road and a new N.C. 86/Eubanks Road intersection, all of which are under construction now.

The town agreed to pay more than $1 million of the developer’s cost as an economic development incentive, and during the process, asked NCDOT to look at the I-40 interchanges, one of which is about 400 feet from Eubanks Road. The traffic backups are expected to worsen over the next 20 years, NCDOT project manager Gene Tarascio said.

But local officials and Northwood residents were shocked to learn recently that the current N.C. 86/Eubanks Road intersection upgrade could be temporary — and that a long-term fix could run through the neighborhood.

Casele said he learned about the potential five-lane road taking out his house from a restaurant server.

I-40 widening plans on the town’s website show a future Eubanks Road taking a turn south through the Northwood neighborhood, through three homes, include Casale’s, and exiting at a new N.C. 86 intersection across from Chapel Hill North. A few nearby church graves also could be affected.

As Casale gave a tour of the neighborhood Tuesday, he talked about how neighbors regularly walk the quiet streets and waved at those who drove past. Slow traffic, children playing signs were posted in some of the front yards. The tight-knit community is aging, he said, but new families with small children have moved in the last few years.

His and many other homes were designed by noted modernist builder J.P Goforth to fit into the woods, Casele said. While small, the modestly priced homes have vaulted ceilings that create an illusion of space, he said, and the single-story floor plans are good for older residents who want to age in place.

Casele proudly showed off the garage he added in 2006 in the Goforth style — a space where he could tinker with cars and build things in retirement.

It’s just horrifying,” he said. “A house is a house. Can I find another house of this quality that I can afford? I don’t know. Everything’s a lot more expensive. I — and everyone in the neighborhood — have taken love and tender care of this house.”

Nothing is set in stone yet, Tarascio said Thursday. The plans on the town’s website are preliminary and meant to generate public comments and ideas, he said.

The final plan and right-of-way purchases could come in 2021, he said.

NCDOT officials had hoped to share that information at a public meeting Nov. 5, but it was postponed when OWASA’s water main broke, he said. The meeting could be rescheduled for mid-January.

Northwood lies in Chapel Hill’s planning area outside the town limits. Residents don’t vote in town elections or pay town taxes. They’re also not sure what support the county can offer. On Tuesday they asked the Orange County Board of Commissioners to keep them informed about the project and future discussions with NCDOT.

“We’re a community of families that want Northwood to remain the vibrant and the peaceful place that it is to raise our families, to raise our grandkids, to pursue the goals to make a better quality of life for ourselves and the community,” 30-year resident Waddy Davis said.

Another Eubanks solution?

Town and county officials have said the plan shocked them too. Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger said she urged NCDOT to find other options. The town can help if they know what problems NCDOT is trying to solve with the project, she said.

She noted also that the project could damage Northwood’s community well, of which NCDOT officials apparently were not aware.

The county also will keep working to find a solution, commissioners Chairman Mark Dorosin said.

“We will make sure that you’re informed and included, that the process is transparent, and that as your concerns are passed on to us, we will pass those on to the DOT as well,” Dorosin said. “As well as our own concerns about how to manage this project most effectively and reasonably.”

Commissioner Barry Jacobs said he also reached out to the NCDOT board chairman about the plans, including the northeast corner of the I-40 interchange, where the map shows a newly configured Whitfield Road heading into Duke Forest and the county’s rural buffer.

Duke has been in touch about that portion of the plan, Tarascio said, and “they’re not too keen on us doing stuff there.”

Chapel Hill in control

The original I-40 widening plan, which was on hold a few years, didn’t change the N.C. 86 access ramps or intersections at all, Tarascio said. But the current design backs up traffic and will only get worse, he said; synchronizing the traffic signals won’t help much either.

The development around the I-40 interchange limits the state’s options, he said.

“If Chapel Hill doesn’t want us to do this project, we’re not going to force it on them,” Tarascio said. “We don’t move forward on these projects without local support. This was broken out, because the town wanted something done there.”

Neighbors want a better solution.

“We just can’t stomach this, and it’s very difficult for us. Some of us have expressed not being able to sleep at night because of this,” neighbor Erik Broo said. “It’s worrying all of us, because as a community, we’re going to be significantly affected.”

Bill Hines, whose home also lies in the path of the revamped Eubanks Road, said the eldest of his three daughters, although she has left home for college, is taking the news especially hard. It’s where all three learned to ride bikes, skateboard and play basketball, he said.

While the state would buy them out, Hines also noted the prospect of buying another, affordable home in Chapel Hill would be tough. Northwood was going to be his “forever home,” he said.

“Our neighborhood’s really unique, and the houses are unique for Chapel Hill,” Hines said.

This story was originally published November 15, 2018 at 6:16 PM.