What's Coming for Sidewalks and Bike Paths in South Durham: 2025 and Beyond

South Durham is moving toward a more walkable and bike-friendly future, with over a dozen sidewalk and bicycle improvement projects planned or underway across the area.

These include new shared-use paths, protected bike lanes, and safer pedestrian crossings along major corridors like NC Highway 55, Carpenter-Fletcher Road, Cornwallis Road, and University Drive. For neighborhoods near Southpoint, Woodcroft, Hope Valley, and Jordan High School, these upgrades could significantly improve both safety and access.

While some of these Durham sidewalk and bike lane projects are already in the final design phase, many are still years away from construction - or waiting for state and federal funding. Others, like the Fayetteville Street sidewalk at Mt. Zion Church and the Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway protected bike lanes, are expected to break ground in the next one to two years.

Each project is part of the city’s broader effort to expand its network of bike-friendly and pedestrian-safe routes as population growth and car traffic increase across the region.

The full list below outlines what's funded, what's still being designed, and what's on the long-range planning horizon. Whether you bike, walk, ride transit, or drive, these projects will reshape how people move through South Durham - and may offer new ways to safely connect to schools, parks, businesses, and shopping centers like The Streets at Southpoint.

Carpenter-Fletcher Sidewalk Bicycle Facilities

• Project Summary: Designing sidewalks and bicycle facilities on Carpenter-Fletcher Road from Woodcroft Parkway to Alston Avenue. Total length: Three-quarters of a mile, with a design budget of $489,851. Functional designs completed in 2014. Final designs also complete.
• Project Status: Design completed in July 2024. Right-of-way completion anticipated in Spring 2027. Plans approved by NCDOT, CSX, and city engineering. Now awaiting environmental document update before request for right-of-way authorization from NCDOT. Estimated construction completion date: To be determined.

Cornwallis Road Sidewalk and Bicycle Facilities

• Project Summary: Designing sidewalks and bicycle facilities on Cornwallis Road from Old Chapel Hill Road to South Roxboro Street. Total length is 1.2 miles and design budget is $533,381.
• Project Status: Design completed in December 2022. Right-of-way completion expected in June 2026. Construction start and completion to be determined.

Cornwallis Road Shared-Use Path

• Project Summary: Construction of a shared-use path on Cornwallis Road between Fayetteville Street and NC Highway 55.
• Project Status: Currently unfunded.

Fayetteville Street Sidewalk

• Project Summary: Building new sidewalk and a bus stop along the northeastern side of the road at 3519 Fayetteville St. (Mt. Zion Christian Church).
• Project Status: Construction expected to start in 2025, with completion in 2026.

Hillsborough Road Sidewalk

• Project Summary: As part of the city’s 2025 bond project, this will add new sidewalks, curb ramps, crosswalks, bus stops, and stormwater improvements along both sides of the road from the Hilton Hotel at 3800 Hillsborough Rd. to the Sheetz at 3414 Hillsborough Rd.
• Project Status: Advertisement went out in June 2025. Pre-bid meeting planned for July 9. Bid opening on July 29. Anticipated construction start in October 2025, with completion a year later.

LaSalle Street Sidewalk

• Project Summary: Designing sidewalks on both sides of LaSalle Street from Kangaroo Drive to Hillsborough Road and on one side from Hillsborough Road to Sprunt Avenue. Length is .7 miles, with a design budget of $201,440.
• Project Status: Design completed in July 2021. Right-of-way completion expected in June 2026. Estimated construction completion in 2027.

Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway Protected Bicycle Lanes

• Project Summary: Adding vertical protection to recently installed buffered bicycle lanes from NC Highway 55 to Hope Valley Road.
• Project Status: Estimated construction start in 2025, with completion in 2026.

McGehee Street Sidewalk

• Project Summary: Building new sidewalk along south side of the road from Vesson Avenue to Chapel Hill Road, including curb ramp improvements and crosswalks.
• Project Status: Construction start and completion to be determined.

Miami Boulevard

• Project Summary: Shared use path and sidewalk from T.W. Alexander Drive to NC Highway 54.
• Project Status: Currently unfunded.

Morreene Road Sidewalk and Bicycle Facilities

• Project Summary: Designing sidewalks and bicycle facilities on Morreene Road from Neal Road to Erwin Road. Total length is 1.5 miles. Plans approved by NCDOT.
• Project Status: Design completed in January 2021. Right-of-way completion expected this year. Start and completion of construction to be determined.

Neal Road Sidewalk

• Project Summary: Building a new sidewalk on south side of the road to the east of Constitution Drive, filling in a gap of about 300 linear feet.
• Project Status: Construction start and completion to be determined.

NC Highway 54 Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements

• Project Summary: From NC Highway 55 to Fayetteville Road, with a shared-use path on one side and a sidewalk on the other.
• Project Status: Currently unfunded.

NC Highway 54 Sidewalk

• Project Summary: Designing a sidewalk on the south side of NC Highway 54 from NC Highway 55 east to the Research Triangle Park western limit. Total length is .4 miles, with a design budget of $94,169.
• Project Status: Design completed in January 2021. Right-of-way completion expected in June 2026. However, construction is currently listed as unfunded.

NC Highway 55 Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements

• Project Summary: Building a shared-use path along NC Highway 55 from Riddle to Cornwallis roads, plus making intersection improvements.
• Project Status: Currently unfunded.

NC Highway 55 Shared-Use Path

• Project Summary: Construction of a shared use path running along the east side of NC Highway 55 from Riddle Road to Cecil Street.
• Project Status: Estimated construction start date in 2028. Completion estimate has yet to be determined.

NC Highway 55 Southbound Lane

• Project Summary: Add third southbound lane on NC Highway 55 from Meridian Parkway to the Interstate 40 onramp. Upgrade I-40 ramp terminals.
• Project Status: Currently in planning phase. Construction set to start in 2028, with completion expected in 2030.

Shannon Road Sidewalk

• Project Summary: Building a new sidewalk to fill in gaps along the east side of the road near 3301 Shannon Rd., including curb ramps, bus stop improvements, and pedestrian crossings.
• Project Status: Construction start and completion to be determined.

Southwest Durham Drive Sidewalk

• Project Summary: Building new sidewalk, curb ramps, crosswalks, and bus stops along the east side of the road from 3705 Southwest Durham Dr. to Old Chapel Hill Road.
• Project Status: Construction expected to start in 2025, with completion in 2026.

University Drive Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements

• Project Summary: Building shared-use path along one side of the road between Garrett Road and Hope Valley Road. On other side, a buffered bicycle lane.
• Project Status: Currently in planning.

University Drive Sidewalk

• Project Summary: Building a new sidewalk along the eastern side of the road from Steele Avenue to 300 feet north of East Woodridge Drive, near Rockwood Shopping Center, including curb and gutter, crosswalks, curb ramps, and stormwater improvements.
• Project Status: Construction start and completion to be determined.

U.S. 15-501 at Garrett Road Intersection

• Project Summary: Convert existing grade intersection to an interchange.
• Project Status: Construction expected to start in 2026.

Woodcroft Parkway Extension

• Project Summary: Extend Woodcroft Parkway from existing terminus at Hope Valley Road to a new intersection with Garrett Road in front of Jordan High School. Also adding a shared-use path.
• Project Status: Currently in design phase. Construction expected to start in 2025.

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