Tag Archive for: #dabneydrive

NCDOT

$57M Dabney Drive Upgrade Chugging Along

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Anyone who dropped in during Tuesday’s NCDOT meeting at E.M. Rollins School got a chance to view project maps and speak with transportation officials about just what the $57 million Dabney Drive upgrade is going to look like.

From initial conceptual drawings, what it’s going to look like is very different.

The proposed upgrades include a peanut-shaped roundabout at Dorsey Avenue and upgrading existing Dabney Drive for eastbound traffic and Corbitt Road and a former rail corridor for westbound traffic. But it also makes accommodations for pedestrians and bicyclists who use the roadway.

Dabney Drive is a major transportation artery for the city that gives motorists access to residential, commercial, industrial, churches and institutional facilities located within the project area. There aren’t many times during the day that traffic isn’t congested, and NCDOT has been working on getting plans together for the upgrade since 2019.

Right now, projected costs to complete the Dabney Drive upgrade include $7.3 million for relocating utilities, $25 million for right-of-way acquisition, $24.4 million to complete an environmental document. Construction is set to begin in Fall 2027.

and utility companies to make sure the work “will minimize impacts to the greatest extent possible,” documents state.

No doubt NCDOT will have to acquire property, and once the design phase is complete, affected property owners will be contacted.. For more information about the right-of-way process, visit https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/Documents/right-of-way-residential-english.pdf#search=right%20of%20way.

In addition to fielding questions from the public, NCDOT representatives received comments, which will be reviewed and discussed as plans continue.

The project – U-5890 – has its own webpage https://publicinput.com/dabney-drive-henderson

NCDOT also invites public comment by email or phone. To send an email, visit dabney-drive-henderson@publicinput.com.

Phone 984.205.6615 and enter Code 4600 to leave a voice message.

Public comments can also be mailed to:

Zahid Baloch

NCDOT Division Project Team

1573 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1573

 

Comments should be submitted by Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024.

 

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Dabney Drive

TownTalk: Dabney Drive NC DOT Project

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All signs point to growth for the city of Henderson in the not-too-distant future. Whether you’re talking new subdivisions or urban revitalization, bringing back passenger rail service or finally widening a major congested artery through a heavily commercial district, Henderson is getting ready for change.

Change is considered a necessary evil by some, a vital component for progress by others. Either way, most would agree that change is inevitable.

Drivers who make their way along Dabney Drive have long experienced backups and congestion, and the N.C. Department of Transportation has had a widening project on its State Transportation Improvement Plan for a while, but Henderson City Manager Terrell Blackmon said the project could see some activity soon.

Funding is in place for the project based on the current 2024-2033 STIP, Blackmon told WIZS News Tuesday via email.

The plan originally called for portions of Dabney Drive to become a divided highway, with plans for a “peanut” shaped roundabout at the intersection with South Garnett Street down to the Dorsey Road/Oxford Road area.

Blackmon said city leaders met with DOT officials on Nov. 2 to discuss the $56.7 million project, which will commence in January or February 2024 with a public meeting. If all goes according to the timeline, an environmental document would be ready by September of 2024, followed by right-of-way acquisition, with construction underway in 2028.

“Plans remain very similar to what was originally proposed,” Blackmon stated.  The concept includes upgrading the existing Dabney Drive for eastbound traffic and use the existing Corbitt Road/former railroad corridor for westbound traffic, he added.

“Dabney Drive is a critical artery for the city of Henderson,” Blackmon told community leaders in July 2022 during his “State of the City” address. “That widening project needs to happen as soon as possible.”

View the STIP plan here and scroll down to page 59 for Dabney Drive project details.

Ten years sounds like a long time, but when you’re talking about completing major projects like the Dabney Drive expansion and creating a downtown train station for commuter and passenger rail, a decade can go by quickly.

In light of Sen. Thom Tillis’s announcement Tuesday of $1 billion being earmarked for the the S-Line corridor that will ultimately bring a stop in Henderson, the opportunity for even more downtown development and growth is almost certain.

City leaders are planning next steps for the location of a downtown train station that could serve as a springboard for Henderson to be a destination for train travelers to dine, see a show and enjoy other downtown amenities that haven’t even been thought of yet.

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NCDOT

Public Meeting Set on Planned Dabney Drive Upgrades

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Press Release, N.C. Department of Transportation

A project aimed at improving mobility and reducing congestion on Dabney Drive between Coble Boulevard and U.S. 158 Business in Vance County will be the subject of a public meeting in Henderson on Thursday.

The N.C. Department of Transportation has developed two concepts that will be discussed at the meeting. The first would make Dabney Drive one-way eastbound and Corbitt Road one-way westbound, with an option for a roundabout at South Garnett Street. The second concept would upgrade Dabney Drive to a four-lane, median-divided roadway.

Additional information, including a map of the proposals, can be found on the NCDOT public meetings website.

Area residents who want to learn more about the project, ask questions and comment on the plans can attend the meeting from 4 – 7 p.m. at E.M. Rollins Elementary School, 1600 South Garnett Street in Henderson. The public may attend at any time as no formal presentation will be made. Comments will be considered as the project develops. It is scheduled to begin construction in 2022.

If someone is unable to attend the meeting, they can still offer comments via email, phone or at NCDOT’s public input portal by July 11. Those email and phone comments can be directed to Brett Lackey, NCDOT project manager, at bwlackey@ncdot.gov or 919-424-4535.

NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled persons who wish to participate in this workshop. Anyone requiring special services should contact Tony Gallagher of the NCDOT Environmental Analysis Unit at magallagher@ncdot.gov or 919-707-6069 as soon as possible.

Persons who have a limited ability to read, speak or understand English may receive interpretive services upon request prior to the meeting by calling 1-800-481-6494.

City of Henderson Logo

City Lifts Boil Water Advisory for Dabney & Beckford Drive

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-Information courtesy the City of Henderson, Public Works

According to City of Henderson Public Works officials, the boil water advisory that was in effect for the Dabney Drive and Beckford Drive area as of Wednesday, May 1, 2019, has been lifted. Residents and businesses in this area may resume normal water consumption.

Water customers in the Dabney Drive area may have experienced periods of low pressure and outages in the distribution system due to a line break earlier this week. Periods of low or no pressure in the distribution system increased the potential for back siphoning and introduction of bacteria into the water system.

The boil water advisory was issued as a safety precaution.

Dabney Drive

Dabney Dr. Surveying Project to Last Several Months, Help Solve Traffic Woes

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-Information and photo courtesy the Citizens Aligned to Take Back Henderson, NC’s Facebook page

We are all too familiar with the traffic problems on Dabney Drive in Henderson. Thankfully, the North Carolina Department of Transportation has started the process of addressing this problem.

Have you noticed the surveying that has taken place in recent weeks? This is just the beginning of the process. Representatives from the NCDOT, including engineers, surveyors, and geologists as well as representatives from other state and federal agencies will be working in the area for the next several months. They will be collecting preliminary data for an environmental study for the project on SR 1162 (Dabney Drive) from Coble Blvd. to US 158 Business.

Can traffic problems be solved? Of course they can, and this is done every day. Like Dabney Drive, Ruin Creek Road also handles a large amount of traffic but without the problems.

The traffic on I-85 is expected to increase drastically over the next decade and so will the traffic on Dabney Drive. This can be viewed as a negative or as an opportunity. With the right long term plan and investment, it can undoubtedly be a great opportunity for Henderson.

Naysayers will say “this can’t work and it’s a waste of money” but that’s just what naysayers do. In reality, millions of tax dollars are going to be spent on infrastructure in the City of Henderson that will promote investment and make life in our city better.

Citizens Aligned to Take Back Henderson, NC sees this as a positive.

(This is not a paid advertisement)