Education TRACKer: Apex H.S. parents might want to get informed

Last night, I attended a community meeting for The Cary News about road improvements along Highway 64 in Cary and Apex. Residents in the area turned out in large numbers to hear the NCDOT study group speak and to voice their concerns.
Some were parents of Apex High School students, although I would imagine many parents live far enough away from the Laura Duncan intersection that they may not have heard much about the proposed changes. The NCDOT sent letters to residents who lived in homes that were immediately affected by the plan, but when several concerned citizens collected signatures for a petition at Kroger recently, they found many people living just out of range of 64 hadn’t heard the news.
As part of a short-term (three to five-year) plan, the NCDOT plans to convert the busy part of 64 (including intersections like Edinburgh Drive, Lake Pine Drive and Laura Duncan Road) to a “superstreet,” which adds additional signal lights and large medians. Drivers wishing to turn left at one of these intersections must first turn right, then proceed to another light to make a U-turn and continue in the direction they desire.
The medians, on which a consultant said, “you could park two large school buses,” would be where Apex High School students walking across 64 would stand in between lights. The walk would consist of three parts: across to the middle of 64 from Apex High, then wait for a light change on the median, across again, then crossing Laura Duncan to get to the fast food restaurants. My kids aren't yet that age, but I would worry about them in this scenario.
The superstreet should make travel for school buses safer, in theory, by reducing the number of possible collision spots from 36 to 18. But under the current plans, young pedestrians and any cyclists may get the short end of the stick, with some residents inquiring about the possibility of a raised walkway over 64.
A long-term (30 year) plan calls for overpasses. The current plans for exiting Shepherd’s Vineyard (the Eva Perry Library road) actually elicited laughter from audience members last night because of the roundabout nature of what it would take to head west on 64.
To find out more about the U.S. 64 Corridor Study, you can check out www.ncdot.org/~us64study or the website area residents manage at http://save64.org.