Road to Green Hope Could Reopen Next Week

Cary, NC — With Carpenter Upchurch Road closed for construction, it’s been a challenging start to the school year for students, parents and neighbors of Green Hope High School. But the headaches may be over next week.

Green Hope Roundabout

Carpenter Upchurch has been partially closed since the beginning of the school year for the construction of a roundabout in front of Green Hope High. A Town of Cary project, the new road feature was scheduled to be completed by September 30, according to emails from the NCDOT.

Frustration

The new traffic circle will be wonderful, rest assured, but the construction has been a source of frustration for parents, students, neighbors and, presumably, teachers and staff. With one side of Carpenter Upchurch closed, traffic to the school from the south has been redirected 2.6 miles up Louis Stephens and across Morrisville Parkway.

The Cut Through

If you plot the route on Google Maps, it shows you a handy cut-through on Heritage Pines Drive, eliminating 1/2 a mile from the detour. No doubt, some people driving to GHHS may have utilized the shortcut, bringing additional traffic to this suburban neighborhood street.

Good News

According to an email from NC Representative Tom Murry, contractors hope to reopen Carpenter Upchurch on Saturday, October 11. From NCDOT in the email:

Here is an update that our staff just received from the contractor: they hope to open road on October 11th . They are placing first lift of surface today and have to pour the remaining islands before placing 2nd lift of surface.

Student Orientation

Green Hope will have a student orientation about driver safety and navigating the new roundabout, according to the GHHS Falcons newsletter:

Student Driver Meeting: Administration and Officer Mitchell will meet with all of our student drivers on Thursday, October 9th at 9:55 to discuss driver safety. Our talk will include basic safety tips (stemmed from recent high school accidents), how to navigate our new round-a-bout, and disseminate information about a national high school contest called “Celebrate my Drive”.

First Pictures – GHHS Roundabout

Here are a few pictures of the new roundabout.

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Story and photos by Hal Goodtree.