On July 16, 2013, the Raleigh City Council approved the Blount Street/Person Street Corridor Plan. The Blount Street/Person Street corridor extends more than five miles from Capital Boulevard to I-40 and includes Wake Forest Road and Hammond Road. The core of the corridor is the pair of one-way streets Blount and Person streets.

The 2013 Transportation Bond includes funding for Phase One implementation. This phase includes restriping of the corridor, including the addition of bicycle lanes, a turn lane on Wake Forest Road, on-street parking in certain roadway sections, and the restoration of two-way traffic on Person Street between Delway and Peace Streets. Additional information on all project phases is included below.

Plan Information

The Blount Street/Person Street Corridor Plan was developed with public input at workshops held in October and December. The draft plan was available for review and comment at an open house held in May. The Blount Street/Person Street Corridor Plan is a phased approach to balance the variety of uses to create a corridor that is safe and attractive to motorists, pedestrians, cyclists and transit users. The corridor provides needed access to Downtown, adjacent neighborhoods and major regional destinations. Yet the speed and behavior of vehicular traffic can be managed.

The plan examines the existing conditions and provides one-way and two-way restoration alternatives. The phases were developed based on stated themes and vision for the corridor:

• Business and economic development;
• Neighborhood and historic character;
• Traffic and mobility; and,
• Walkable and multi-modal.

The first phase proposes road restriping that would have an immediate effect on traffic behavior, provide pedestrian comfort and traffic calming. The work would define the two travel lanes, add bike lanes and define on-street parking on Blount Street and Person Street between Hoke Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Phase one would convert the four-lane section of Wake Forest Road to a three-lane section with a center turn lane and add bicycle lanes. Person Street would be restored to two-way traffic from Delway Street/Mordecai Drive to Peace Street. Also phase one would define the lane configuration of Blount and Person streets from Peace Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to a consistent two travel lanes, adding bicycle lanes and on-street parking on both sides.

Phase two proposes streetscape improvements throughout the corridor. In the South Park neighborhood the improvements include landscaped bulb-outs at intersection corners and selected mid-block locations. Landscaped medians and pedestrian crossings would be added at locations from Brookside/Automotive Way to Delway Street. Phase two would include the completion of missing sidewalks on the west side of Wake Forest Road from Sycamore Street to Cedar Street. It is proposed to add landscaped bulb-outs at intersection corners and selected mid-block locations to better define on-street parking, narrow pedestrian crossings, add street trees and landscaping to visually narrow the streets to encourage traffic calming, through the downtown area from Peace Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Phase three proposes analysis of the restoration of two-way traffic to Blount and Person streets. Should a two-way restoration be desired and prove feasible, phase three would add roundabouts at the transitions with Wake Forest Road and Hammond Road and add new traffic signals at all signalized intersections on Blount and Person streets. Two potential roundabouts would be added north and south of Capital Boulevard at Wake Forest Road as a part of the long term plan for Capital Boulevard.

This phase is complete.

This phase is complete for part one of the project.

The resurfacing part of the project is complete. A crew is currently working on replacing curb ramps to bring them to ADA standards. 

The thermoplastic pavement markings along the corridor are complete.        

The project is scheduled to be completed early this summer.

Phase details coming soon.