DOT to Lengthen 15-501 Bridge over New Hope Creek

Heeding a united chorus of local voices, including TLC, the N.C. Department of Transportation agreed on June 11 to lengthen and raise a new bridge that will span New Hope Creek between Chapel Hill and Durham.

The bridge project is part of a larger plan to widen US 15-501 between Mt. Moriah Rd. and Garrett Rd. to six lanes. The widening project will require removal of the current bridges across New Hope Creek and two new bridges to be built to carry the six lanes across the creek.

DOT had proposed replacement bridges 205 feet long and 8 feet high. Local groups (including TLC), led by the New Hope Creek Corridor Advisory Committee, decried that proposal, saying the bridges would be too low and not provide enough creekside room for recreational trails and safe wildlife passage. The groups called for bridges 300 feet long and 10 feet high.

At a public hearing on April 3, 75 local citizens expressed unanimous support for the 300-foot long, 10-foot high bridge. The Durham and Orange county boards of commissioners, the Chapel Hill Town Council, and the Durham City Council all passed resolutions favoring the expanded bridge. State representatives and senators, the local transportation advisory board, and the local Chambers of Commerce also added their support.

Lorelei Costa, TLC’s Associate Director, applauded DOT for its environmentally sound decision, saying that special thanks should go to Nina Szlosberg, a member of the state Board of Transportation, and Roger Sheats, Deputy Secretary of DOT for Environment, Planning and Local Governmental Affairs, for their support of the longer, higher bridge.

“Thanks to DOT for listening to local voices and protecting a decade’s worth of conservation work on New Hope Creek,” Costa added.

The New Hope Creek Corridor between Duke Forest and Jordan Lake is the largest intact wildlife corridor remaining in the central Triangle. Its conservation as a natural and low-impact recreational corridor has been planned through more than ten years of extensive collaboration between Chapel Hill, Durham (city), Durham County, Orange County and private landowners. These jurisdictions, along with TLC and private individuals and companies, have invested approximately $4.5 million to preserve the corridor.

“The 15-501 bridge sets a new standard of excellence that will serve as a model for other projects in North Carolina and across the country,” said Jerry Emison, chair of the New Hope Creek Corridor Advisory Committee.

Background on the New Hope Bridge issue