Officials this week will celebrate the completion of the latest phase of the Rupple Road Improvement Project.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is set for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 30 at the new Hamestring Creek bridge near the intersection of Rupple Road and Mount Comfort Road.
The new bridge will open to traffic at about 1 p.m. after the ceremony, according to a city news release.
Aside from the 182-foot bridge, the work included relocating a section of Rupple Road to connect with the existing signalized intersection on Mount Comfort Road. The project also includes a 12-foot-wide multi-use trail along the west side, and a 6-foot-wide sidewalk along the east side.
Mayor Lioneld Jordan said the project marks the correction of what he called one of the worst intersections in town.
“This section will reduce congestion and streamline traffic flow, providing a safe road for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians,” Jordan said. “I’ve worked on funding this project since I was on the City Council in 2001. The people helped design this road, and I made a commitment during a Ward 4 meeting that we would take care of this intersection.”
The project was funded through the 2006 voter-approve bond issue, and completes a portion of what is known as “the Mayor’s Box,” a system of four-lane roads enhanced with green space, multi-use trails, and pedestrian sidewalks that will create a multi-modal transportation loop around the city. Additional phases of the Mayor’s Box have been funded through the 2019 voter-approved bond and will begin construction in 2020.
