Anyone who has traveled by foot, car or bike along Peace Street near the interchange with Capital Boulevard knows the difficulty of navigating this congested area. There’s no question that it’s badly in need of a make over. Good news! There are plans underway to not just fix problems, but to transform this northern end of Downtown Raleigh into an attractive, vibrant place to live, work and play.
What starts with required bridge replacements over Peace Street, ends up driving a huge redevelopment opportunity with a new city park.
Here’s what’s in store.
It all starts with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) replacing the “structurally deficient and functionally obsolete” Peace Street bridge. Built in 1948, the bridge is nearing its useful life, so this action is unavoidable. A public hearing on the bridge replacement project is planned for fall 2012, with construction projected to start in 2016.
Roundabout OptionIn conjunction with replacing the bridge, there is an urgent need to rethink the the interchange with Capital Boulevard, which carries 54,000 vehicles per day, forecasted to increase to 77,000 vehicles. Various new loops are being considered, including using roundabouts.
This downtown area is set to become a link to the greenway system and hub for rail stations.
We talked about the 3-mile greenway that will connect the Crabtree Creek Greenway and the Downtown in our previous post Re-Imagining Capital Boulevard. Here is a map of a proposed route.
Devereux ParkDid you know that Devereux Meadows, located on the area bounded by North West Street, Peace Street and Capital Boulevard, was once a minor league baseball field? Today the area, where development is limited by the fact that it sits on a flood plain, is used by the city to park their waste services trucks and other utility vehicles. But the city agrees that this under-utilized area is perfect for an urban park, featuring a restoration of Pigeon House Branch waterway. Imagine a new downtown waterway with the new greenway running alongside.
Once transformed, the area will become a magnet for redevelopment.
This new pedestrian-friendly area with nearby transit and green space will become very attractive for redevelopment. The Peace Street Visioning Study laid out some ideas for high density redevelopment, including the realignment of Harrington Street to intersect with Peace Street and create new development lots.
The adjacent area along the northern end of West Street is also prime for redevelopment. In addition to running alongside the new “Devereux Park”, the City Planning Department has identified West Street to become a future north-south connector into the city and major link to Union Station. Plans include the realignment of North West Street to favor development north of Peace Street, extending the street to Fairview Road.
And finally, we can also imagine the Peace Street Corridor transformation becoming a driver to spark the redevelopment of the adjacent area on Glenwood South’s northeast corner. We talked about this “Frontier of Possibility” in a previous blog post.
This is just one more example of how Raleigh city government, residents and businesses are shaping the quality of Downtown life. As a resident, I look forward to walking with my granddaughters on this greenway, feeding ducks in Pigeon Creek, and popping on the light rail to have a bite of lunch. I look at the view from my condo terrace at 510 Glenwood and feel excited about all I know is coming.
The City's Transportation Department comments that the "square loop" option is currently their favorite option for vehicle traffic at the Peace Street interchange with Capital Boulevard, rather than roundabouts.
Here is an image of the "square loop", also referred to as the Johnson Street Option.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16409862/Squareloops.pdf
If the city truly wants to expand the reaches of DT to the north, it needs to ELIMINATE the bridge over Peace St. and return the intersection to a more traditional urban system. The Capital Blvd bridge over Peace with its corresponding 45MPH limit sends a clear message that one is now outside of DT. I fear that any future bridge and interchange will take more land and be more suburban than the current one.
IMO, eliminating the bridge will do the following:
1. Better connect the East and West sides of Peace Street. That bridge is a strong divider.
2. Integrate more pedestrian opportunity to both Peace and Capital (perhaps extending Mc Dowell name all the way to Wade Ave.)
3. Restore the integrity and opportunity for relevant development on each of the corners of the intersection, inclusive of the former Devereaux Meadows.
4. Extend the real reach of DT up Capital Blvd as envisioned in the city's long range plan
5. Emphasize and celebrate Peace Street as a vital E/W artery in downtown
6. Emphasize a more urban future for the north side of Downtown.
For me, the bridge over Peace Street on the north side of DT and the corresponding MLK/Western bridge on the south side of DT send a very clear message that one is no longer in DT. If the city is serious about extending the reach of DT to the north, it must eliminate the bridge over Peace. Look at what that interchange has done for its immediate surroundings….practically NOTHING. Save for the Cotton Mill corner, the other corners are underutilized and in sorry shape. The divided nature of Capital and the speed limit doesn't help either. With the restoration of this stretch of Capital/McDowell to a city street, the possibilities are enhanced for the immediate surrounds.
Cool plan. I just hope this is for the betterment of the place and will not be another reason to get the problem worse.
– Kevin Weiss