Morrisville

Updates on Morrisville Road Extensions and Connections

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Morrisville, NC – Of all of Morrisville’s road projects, one of the biggest is the McCrimmon Parkway extension, connecting the road between Airport Boulevard and Aviation Parkway. That connection is set to be completed less than a year from now, with more roadwork coming to the surrounding areas.

Morrisville

Both phases of the McCrimmon Parkway Extension

Morrisville Extension Coming Soon

Voters in Morrisville passed a bond referendum back in 2012 to fund the McCrimmon Parkway extension, a 1.6 mile link from Airport Boulevard and Aviation Parkway, including a smaller link between Perimeter Park Drive and NC-54.

Construction started in late 2016 and Benjamin Howell, Morrisville’s long range planning manager, said both phases are set to be completed within a year.

“We’re planning to open the road up by the end of 2019 or early 2020,” Howell said, adding that Phase One between Perimeter Park Drive and NC-54 is set to be done first, sometime late this year.

One of the goals behind this road extension, Howell said, is to alleviate traffic in the area, particularly on NC-54.

“Now there will be a new, four-lane roadway for drivers coming off of Aviation Parkway from I-40, as opposed to taking the two-lane NC-54,” Howell said.

Additionally, Howell said this will put a major road through a previously inaccessible 400-acre section of town, which opens it up for development.

For Phase One of the extension, between NC-54 and Perimeter Park Drive, all construction is done by the Town of Morrisville. But for the larger Phase Two, Howell said it is a partnership with the state.

“This phase is designed by Morrisville but we’ve partnered with NCDOT for construction,” Howell said, adding that the funding for the state side comes from that 2012 bond.

Morrisville

Morrisville Town Council, town staff and NC Representative Gale Adcock in 2016 at the McCrimmon Parkway groundbreaking

Adjacent Construction Projects

Extending McCrimmon Parkway will result in changes to other roads in Morrisville as well, such as the intersection of McCrimmon Parkway with Aviation Parkway and Evans Road.

“There will be some incidental widening for that four-leg intersection,” Howell said. “NCDOT also has an Aviation Parkway widening project between NC-54 and I-40 but that won’t start until 2023.”

Also on Airport Boulevard, the Town of Morrisville recently voted to fund a design project to extend this road. The $1 million design will look at extending this road between Garden Square Lane and Church Street. Howell said the design phase will take about a year to a year and a half, but afterwards, the town is looking to move straight to construction.

“It would be under construction in the next two years,” Howell said. “We’re looking to partner with NCDOT as well.”

Howell said they are looking to fund this extension with federal funds, secured by CAMPO. Similarly, the Town of Morrisville is working on widening Morrisville-Carpenter Road, which will also use federal funding.

Morrisville

Story by Michael Papich. Photos by Michael Papich and Google Maps.

5 replies
  1. Gary
    Gary says:

    Still, too many dead-end roads in that part of Cary-Morrisville, and the need for Crabtree Crossing being extended persists, but will never happen due to BANANA and NIMBY.

    Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone.

  2. Robert Campbell
    Robert Campbell says:

    So, I think we’re definitely at a point where we need a more comprehensive road plan. We will never be able to build enough roads to handle all the traffic that is coming to our area. But meanwhile, these kinds of investments are needed, so let’s be smart about it. A suggestion on this topic would be to eliminate left turns (that halt traffic) out of shopping centers during morning and evening rush hours – instead divert shopping center traffic to right turn areas. The commuter traffic needs to flow without being impacted by a few cars looking to turn left out of a shopping center during our rush hours.

      • Gabe Talton
        Gabe Talton says:

        Good idea. When I lived in New Jersey they had many “jughandles” which limited left turns on public roads. But any Town traffic controls which limit access to private commercial property expose the Town to inverse condemnation claims. Any one claim would not be that big of a deal. But to limit vehicular access on a wide spread basis could get pricey. Even if the limitation is less than total.

        • Mark Neill
          Mark Neill says:

          “Jughandles” is exactly what I said when I saw the newest DOT plans for Aviation Parkway @ NC54. I think we’ve given our place of origin away…well, that and knowing how to drive in a traffic circle…

          https://publicinput.com/aviationparkway

          When did NJ’s traffic engineers from 1960 move down here and start designing roads?

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