Homeowners Unite to Battle Intersection Proposal
Several Holly Springs homeowners ban together in hopes of stopping an intersection from being built in the future.
Seven homeowners sat with a traffic engineer, hoping to influence a vision plan for future roads in town during the December 13th Planning Board meeting. The vision plan, known as the Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP), guides Holly Springs town employees in deciding where a road will be placed or how it should be improved in the future. The CTP isn’t date-based; it's a visionary guide. For this group of homeowners, they want the town to alter its CTP plan to merge Wade Nash and Honeycutt Roads into one large intersection across Piney Grove Wilbon. According to them, this large intersection would cut across their homes and take away their yards.
Currently, Wade Nash and Honeycutt Roads have T-shaped intersections with Piney Grove Wilbon. The two T-shaped intersections are 782 feet apart. The town, along with CAMPO, an organization that reviews municipal roads across the region, both acknowledges that this area is a growing hotspot of traffic.
The town has envisioned joining these two roads for more than 20 years, planning to extend Honeycutt Road past Cass Holt Road, eventually ending at Avent Ferry Road.
During the summer, a development team proposed a neighborhood on the north side of Wade Nash, leading to discussions about the intersection. Homeowners expressed concerns and proposed alternatives, suggesting synchronized traffic lights at the existing T-intersections. The neighborhood project is still under discussion.
The homeowners returned armed with options.
Scenario 1 - would cause drivers to drive north a bit on Honeycutt Road before heading south to join Wade Nash. This one doesn’t disrupt anyone but it is the least desirable for the town due to the added distance to connect to Wade Nash.
Scenario 2 - would move the Honeycutt Road T-intersection from 782' from Wade Nash to 1,800’ from Wade Nash. The spacing is key because NCDOT prefers this distance for two T-intersections.
Scenario 3 - would cut across several yards coming within 50’ of front doors of some homes to create the intersection. This is the plan the town prefers to follow because it is the most direct route and fits the future plan of building an east-west corridor.
The Planning Board deliberated on whether Scenario 3 should remain in the CTP plan. Natalie Woodson, a homeowner with a family history in the area spanning over 100 years, expressed concern about the disruption of her ancestors' final resting place.
The Board empathized with the homeowners and ultimately voted to change the CTP from Scenario 3 to Scenario 2, rerouting the Honeycutt Road T-intersection. Board member Courtney Patterson also proposed a motion for the town council to consider these homeowners whenever developments are proposed in the area.
While the homeowners appreciated the Planning Board's decision, the ultimate determination rests with the town council.