Academy Street Construction: Setbacks & Updates

Cary, NC — On Thursday, August 6, 2015, Kyle Hubert, Senior Engineer for the Academy Streetscape project, shared construction updates with the Heart of Cary Association.

Academy Street Construction

Construction for the Academy Streetscape project officially began in June right after the May 28, 2015 special groundbreaking celebration in Downtown Cary.

The project will replace road infrastructure from the sixties and improve pedestrian and motorist travel. These efforts are all a part of the town’s revitalization plans to enhance the character, charm and attraction of downtown to bring more businesses and people to the heart of Cary.

The Plan

Hubert explained that they started the project at the southern end of Academy Street, near the Cary Arts Center and Cary Elementary, to take advantage of school being out.

This construction on Dry Avenue and Kildaire Farm Road for has included continued water line construction, storm drainage construction, and utility duct bank construction (for the overhead utilities to be relocated underground on portions of Dry Avenue and Kildaire Farm Road).

The team will finish the area around the Cary Arts Center and Dry Avenue and then to loop around and finish Walnut and Kildaire Farm Road before moving north on Academy. The Academy and Chatham intersection will be the very last project.

Unanticipated Setbacks

The last time Kyle Hubert addressed Heart of Cary members was in the spring when his team was just starting to get the project “off the ground.” Since construction has started, Hubert provided the public with an update on progress, setbacks and goals.

“Although the project has experienced a few setbacks, the original timeline of 365 days (from the start date of June 1, 2015) is still the goal,” Hubert said. The biggest setback? “Finding unanticipated things underground,” he said. “We’ve found a lot utilities underground that we didn’t think would be there, but no bodies,” Hubert joked.

Gas line conflicts and a full water line that was thought to be abandoned have also caused some unwanted excitement during the last few months of construction.

The underground part is slow-going, and I want to thank everybody for their patience. Once we get above-ground, which should happen in the next couple weeks, we’ll start getting to things you can see instead of just piles of red dirt and pipes.

What’s Next?

Over the next two weeks, construction will continue for water lines, utility duct bank and storm drainage pipes on Kildaire Farm Road and on Dry Avenue.

Construction will begin on the new water line on Academy Street. One-way traffic will continue in the same direction (southbound on Academy Street and on Kildaire Farm Road; eastbound on Dry Avenue) but will be shifted to allow for utilities to be installed across the road.

Stay Up-to-Date on the Project

You can stay informed on this project by reading CaryCitizen, by visiting the Town of Cary website or by contacting Kyle Hubert to be added to an email list for updates.

Academy Street Construction

The Plan

Unanticipated Setbacks

What’s Next?

Stay Up-to-Date on the Project

Related Content