After the Raleigh City Council approved plans for two roundabouts and streetscape improvements on Hillsborough Street, construction has been pushed until 2008, according to the street’s contracting firm Kimley Horn.
Roger Henderson, an associate with Kimley Horn, said the City Council asked the firm for 75 percent of the plans for the renovations before a budget is finalized.
“That way, the cost estimate will be more reliable,” Henderson said. “That does make it difficult for us to plan out without a budget though.”
According to Henderson, the firm has to complete 75 percent of the plans by September or October.
“The plan would be to start construction about a year from now,” Henderson said. “Ideally, it would be built during the summer of 2008 and then be finished by that fall.”
Originally, some members of the City Council and the Hillsborough Street Partnership believed construction on the roundabouts would begin this summer. But George Chapman, chair of the Partnership, admits that won’t happen.
“That would be unlikely based on the design,” Chapman said. “Hopefully, it will start in the winter. The construction would most likely start at end of calendar year and hopefully be finalized by the next fall.”
The newest plans call for left hand turns through breaks in the median per the request of the City Council.
In the meantime, work on general streetscape improvements and the facades of buildings should begin, according to the plans.
Chapman said the city created an assistance grant to work on these improvements.
“The Partnership has really been working on the facades for the buildings along Hillsborough,” Chapman said.
While the city and the firm are finalizing plans for the renovation, the city is looking for additional funding, according to Henderson.
“The full project will probably be in the $6 to $7 million range,” Henderson said. “Three million dollars came from a bond that Raleigh voters passed in November of 2005. Now, the city is seeking other sources of money and funding partners, such as utility companies.”
The Partnership is still working on plans for the entire renovation of Hillsborough Street — much of which is not a part of Plan H-3, the plans that the City Council passed in February.
One of the newest additions is a Red, Hot and Blue, a barbecue restaurant with branches already in Raleigh and Cary, which is taking the place of Darryl’s on Hillsborough Street in the fall.
“That kind of business is a good addition,” Chapman said. “We’re also look for clothing stores to cater to the University community.”
Chapman said the Partnership is hoping for the Belltower portion of Hillsborough Street to become a destination dining spot near a type of theater district.
“The renovations to Thompson Theatre and Raleigh Little Theater make up a sort of theater district,” Chapman said. “We’re also looking to add more housing options on the west-end near Cup-A-Joe.”
The City Council will meet again to discuss plans on May 1.
