Hello neighbors.  No doubt by now you may have noticed some signage that has gone up from NCDOT regarding the closure of the intersection at University Dr. and Hope Valley Rd. (NC-751) and more signs were being installed today (though they are covered at the moment).  The closure will be due to the start of the construction of the roundabout that will be installed at the intersection instead of having traffic lights.

I am sure many of our neighbors are concerned as to how the traffic flow will impact our neighborhood for not only thru traffic but also local traffic.  An inquiry was submitted to NCDOT and below is the response that was provided.

The length of the closure will be for approximately eight months, from 3/4/2019 to 11/1/2019. Here are the detours:

– University Drive (from east to west): Turn right onto Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd, exit off to Academy Rd, turn left on Academy Rd, and turn right to continue on University Drive.
– Hope Valley Road (from north to south): Turn right onto University Dr. Turn left to Old Chapel Hill Road. Turn left onto Martin Luther King, Jr. Pkwy., then turn right to continue on Hope Valley Road.

All local access will remain for all local roads in the neighborhood, such as Cornwallis Rd, Stuart Dr, and Bexley Ave. You will simply not be able to cross the intersection of Hope Valley and University at the Epworth United Methodist Church due to the construction.

Here is a link to the press release that was sent out on 2/18/2019 that you can share: https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-02-18-durham-intersection-pipe-replacement.aspx

To be completely upfront there is no real way to know what to expect come Monday and how much traffic may try to come through our streets.  Hopefully any spike in increased traffic will be temporary as drivers learn the correct detour routes.