Murphy – Murphy is closing in on a project that will spruce up its downtown with new water lines, pavement, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, pocket parks and, most famously, a traffic circle.
The town has been replacing downtown water lines and is under the gun to secure a contractor to perform an estimated $850,000 in improvements before the N.C. Department of Transportation starts repaving downtown streets.
Mayor Tim Radford said, “It’s a bit too early to nail down a timeline. We are hoping the DOT’s repaving will happen in the spring, so construction needs to be complete before that.
“There’s a bid meeting this Thursday,” Radford said. “My understanding is that if we get three bids, we can open them and start negotiating a contract for Town Council to review at our next September meeting. If we get less than three, we will re-advertise and open in two weeks – losing another month.”
The DOT will cover up to $250,000 of the project, with the balance coming from grants, Radford said.
“They (N.C. DOT) are paying for everything in the roadway (from roundabout to curbs),” he said. “We will pay for the pocket parks with grant funding.”
An agreement between the town and the state transportation department outlines an engineer’s estimate for the “pedestrian enhancement project.” It includes Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant curb ramps, curbs and gutters, sidewalks and concrete islands.
The estimated cost for that portion of the project is $225,000, including $19,499 for contingencies and $10,000 fee for administration and inspection.
The town plans to enhance the four “pocket parks” at the intersection of Valley River Avenue, Tennessee Street, Peachtree Street and Hiwassee Street, which will be converted from a four-way intersection controlled by a four-way traffic signal, to a traffic circle. The traffic signal will be removed.
The town has already replaced aging water pipes in the downtown. Once the pedestrian enhancement project is complete, the state will come in and repave downtown’s major streets.
Traffic circles have been controversial in Cherokee County. A planned traffic circle on the four-lane west of downtown has been paused following community criticism and will be reevaluated in 2025.
The downtown traffic circle is seen by town leaders as a way to improve traffic safety and flow, improve pedestrian safety, and improve downtown ambience and amenities.
The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners issued a proclamation opposing the downtown traffic circle, but the board has no authority over what the town and state decide to do with streets inside town limits.