33 / 125
33
│
Town Center Plan
January 2007
of a pedestrian and bicycle network that
provides safe and convenient access by
these modes to the various destinations
throughout the project area. In addition, it
will link into the larger network, providing
users with the opportunity to access facilities
such as Umstead State Park to the east and
eventually the American Tobacco Trail to
the west traveling primarily or entirely on
dedicated pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
Natural surface paths should be considered
for use along lower Church Street and in other
locations to help preserve mature vegetation
or address other site constraints. Crosswalks
should be installed at any points where there
are significant conflicts between pedestrians
and automobiles. More extensive pedestrian
amenities such as striped crosswalks, special
signage, push button signals, and pedestrian
refuges should be used any time a greenway
trail crosses a street.
Public Transit and Rail:
As a result of
the Town Center’s railroad heritage and the
continuing active use of this rail line in the
current day, Morrisville has clear physical
proximity and potential ready access to this
mode of transportation. As opportunities for
passenger service emerge through future
plans developed by the Triangle Transit
Authority (TTA), the town has the opportunity
to once again benefit from the availability of
this mode of travel, as it did from the 1850s
to the 1930s. As a result, the Town Center
Design includes a location for a new train
station north of the intersection of Chapel
Hill Road and Morrisville-Carpenter Road/
Aviation Parkway where NC 54 starts to bend
east away from the railroad tracks.
In the short term, public transit opportunities
will consist of bus service. Existing TTA bus
lines serve the Davis Drive corridor and the
Outlet Mall, at the Airport Boulevard exit off
of Interstate 40. Reconfiguration of existing
routes and addition of new routes provide
possible means of expanding bus service to
the Morrisville community.
Freight service through Morrisville is also
anticipated to expand in the medium- to long-
term, with a second freight line planned in the
existing right of way for the North Carolina
Railroad. No service sidings for freight
currently exist in the Town Center. Crossing
limits caused by the tracks will continue to
create a constraint on other modes of travel
that will need to be addressed. An ongoing
need will be overcoming this barrier to travel
through the Town Center.
Public Spaces and Historic Sites
Two important public spaces that have been
described previously in the land use section
include the plaza in front of the planned civic/
cultural facility, and the children’s park behind
it. In addition, the Town Center Design calls
for several new community parks. These
include:
• A Civil War Battleground Park just west
of the intersection of Town Hall Drive
and Morrisville-Carpenter Road to
commemorate the engagement fought in
Morrisville on April 13, 1865 in the last
days of the Civil War. This site would
include interpretive displays to tell the
story of the skirmish, and would conserve
the forest cover, wetlands, and creek on
Chapter 3: Detailed Design
The Town Center Plan identifies a potential future
location for a train station if and when a regional rail
system is developed for the Triangle. (Photo: Town of
Morrisville)