Season of the Backhoe: Publix, Cary Parkway & (Much) More

Cary, NC — The backhoes are busy and lots of dirt is moving in Cary. Even by Cary standards. In this post, we have some pictures and info about a few of the new developments and construction projects.

The Summer of Our (Traffic) Discontent

The daily scramble around town has gotten more challenging with the closure of Cary Parkway at Old Apex Road as well the closure of Morrisville Parkway between Park West and Morrisville Elementary.

Drivers are enduring the frustration (just a couple of more weeks, people), but it’s starting to bubble up on social media.

Thought I had learned the patience thing pretty well. The #Cary Parkway detour has proven me wrong. Cannot wait to be a #Raleigh resident! – A. via Twitter, search string “cary parkway”.

After fighting for 20 minutes to get from Cary Parkway to Laura Duncan past a train and Year Round School and Detour we finally make it to Hwy 64 and Stop? Grrrr Traffic is so bad in #Cary right now! – E. via Twitter, search string “cary parkway”.

New Publix Going Up in Bradford

In addition to two major road closures, the streets of Cary are full of construction vehicles and debris, compounding the traffic woes.

On the other hand, it’s better than weeds growing up through the sidewalks.

At the corner of Davis and High House, The Bradford mega-development continues to build out. The new Publix supermarket has had the walls up for a few weeks and is making swift progress to a potential opening late in 2014. From Publix:

The 49,000-square-foot Publix supermarket grand opening date will depend on several factors, including permitting and completion of the store’s construction; however, the opening is tentatively planned for late 2014.

New Harris Teeter Replaces Galaxy Cinema

It’s been about 14 months since the Galaxy Theater was torn down at the corner of Maynard and Cary Town Boulevard. Now, a new Harris Teeter is rising on the site.

In response to reader request, we went over and took a few pictures of the new supermarket. Across the street, the old Harris Teeter in the parking lot of the mall has closed.

We couldn’t discover any info on the Harris Teeter website about a possible opening date. But based on appearance, the new H/T appears to be a similar timeline to Publix.

Lowes Gets a Facelift at Cary Pky and High House

The Supermarket Wars continue to rage across Cary, with a facelift for the venerable Lowes at the corner of High House and Cary Parkway.

Last year, Lowes closed the store down the block and Davis & High House. Now, they’re investing in the Preston Corners location. Longtime area residents sometimes refer to this location as “Hanna-Lowes” in remembrance of the old tenant, Hannaford. Locals will tell you Hannalowes has the best supermarket bakery in the area.

The store is still open during construction.

One almost wishes supermarkets sported brightly colored exteriors instead of whitewashing everything a uniform shade of (shudder) beige.

Field & Stream at Parkside Commons

Here’s one you probably don’t know about: a Field & Stream store is rising from the dirt at Parkside Commons, the new mega-development on NC 55 and O’Kelly Chapel Road.

What’s  Field & Stream store?

• Not associated with the magazine of the same name
• Hunting, fishing, camping and outdoor gear á la Bass Pro Shops
• Corporate parent is Dick’s Sporting Goods

No info on the website about an opening date, but the Cary location will be the fourth Field & Stream in the nation.

In case you were wondering what a Field & Stream store looks like when completed:

Picture from FieldStreamShop on Instagram.

More Cary Development News

We’d have more development news and pictures if the roads weren’t so messed up. Just kidding, ToC!

But stuff is happening all over. A new restaurant is coming out of the ground at Waverly Place. Triangle Wine is getting set to open next to Whole Foods (which had a facelift last year).

Collins Grove is nearing completion behind Davis Elementary. New neighborhoods are going up on Louis Stephens and Green Level Church Road. On DevMapp, a Code for Cary web app that mashups together development info with a Google map, western Cary is lit up like a Christmas tree.

Share Your Pictures

We’ll do our best to get out there over the next few weeks to report the development across town. But if you happen to get some pictures of development in your neighborhood, share them with us at development@carycitizen.com.

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Story and photos by Hal Goodtree.

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CaryCitizen is sponsored in part by Fit & Able Productions and by Heart of Cary Association.