The city of Raleigh is striving to make itself a more walkable city by installing a sidewalk on the west side of Louisburg Road (US 401). The Louisburg Road Sidewalk Project construction began earlier this year in May and is estimated to be complete in January 2023. The sidewalk will be installed on the Northern side of Louisburg Road starting at Sinclair Drive and ending at Perry Creek Road. At Fox Road, the sidewalk will transition to the Southeast side of Louisburg Road to the end. This project also includes filling in gaps in the sidewalk connecting Spring Forest Road and Perry Creek Road as well as putting several pedestrian signals at various intersections in the area. Another addition to the project includes curb ramps. 

The 5-foot wide sidewalk is expected to improve pedestrian safety along the road and intersections, as well as improve the connectivity between Spring Forest Road and Perry Creek Road. Drivers should expect lane closure throughout the duration of the construction process, however, there will always be at least one lane open on the road. 

According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, nationally, 17.2% of the 36,560 road-related fatalities were pedestrians​​​. Especially in intersections, pedestrians are at an extreme risk for injury, primarily due to lack of awareness and distractions from drivers, drowsy driving, speeding, or alcohol impairment.

Enloe Senior and Louisburg Road resident, Sarah Kyeba explains her thoughts on the sidewalk project: “I am anti-sidewalk! I find the sidewalk to be unsafe for people that walk along it. The speed limit for Louisburg road is 50 mph, and the sidewalk is about a footway from the road. The construction also takes over 1-2 lanes which creates traffic on a road that rarely has any.” From the other side, Enloe senior Fiona DeFrank explains her position in favor of sidewalk infrastructure: “We don’t want people to get hit by cars.” 

According to the results from a survey by the Eagle’s Eye Instagram, 75% of Enloe respondents claimed that they are “pro-sidewalk.” The other 25% claimed that they were “anti-sidewalk.” 

Of the respondents that claimed they were “pro-sidewalk,” the overwhelming opinion was that sidewalks provide safety for pedestrians who have to walk along a road to get to their destination. The argument for respondents that were “anti-sidewalk” was that building a sidewalk creates traffic on the road, which is a burden for drivers who frequent the roads that contain sidewalk construction. 

How to Stay Updated With the Project

Monthly updates on the project are available at raleighnc.gov/Projects; enter “Louisburg Road Sidewalk Project” in the “Project Name” search bar.

If you have any questions about the project, you can contact the City Project Manager James Skinner at the email [email protected] or the phone number (919) 996-4104. 

Works Cited

“Pedestrian Safety.” Pedestrian Safety, www.ncdot.gov/initiatives-policies/safety/pedestrian-safety/Pages/default.aspx. Accessed 6 Dec. 2022.

“Projects.” Projects | Raleighnc.gov, raleighnc.gov/projects. Accessed 6 Dec. 2022.