Neighborhood Looks To Eliminate 'Garner Death Curve'

A southwest Raleigh neighborhood is joining together in an effort to fix a dangerous stretch of road known as "The Garner Death Curve."

By: Jake Seaton | NBC17.com
Published: October 06, 2010

A southwest Raleigh neighborhood is joining together in an effort to fix a dangerous stretch of road known as "The Garner Death Curve."

Department of Transportation officials say the area of concern, Tryon Road between Lake Wheeler Road and Wilmington Street, has an 11 percent higher crash rate than similar two-lane state roads.

Critics attribute the high crash rate to the two 90-degree turns and narrow roadways. According to North Carolina's crash database, in 2010, 59 accidents have occurred at the location, resulting in 15 injuries and 2 fatalities.

A plan to improve the road is part of the larger Tryon Road expansion project. However, the section between Lake Wheeler Road and Wilmington Street has stopped due to a lack of state funding.

Eric Lamb, Raleigh Transportation Services manager, says correcting the dangerous curves includes replacing the old Norfolk-Southern Railroad bridge owned by the Department of Transportation.

Lamb says once the bridge is replaced, the city can move forward with their plans to connect the new bridge to a multi-lane section of road already built in the Renaissance Park residential development.

Upon completion, Lamb says the Tryon Road corridor would no longer include the current sharp curvature and would instead by replaced with a straight, four lane road.

Wally Bowman, Department of Transportation division engineer, says the bridge is not eligible for federal funding and NCDOT does not currently have the funding to pay for the $6 million bridge replacement.

Bowman says NCDOT has acknowledged the project needs to be a priority and taken care of.

NCDOT officials are working to find funding, potentially by shifting state funds currently allocated for projects that are also eligible for federal funds and therefore making state funds available for the Norfolk-Southern Railroad bridge. If funds are identified then they would be approved next summer and bridge construction would begin sometime before 2020.

Meanwhile, project completion advocate, Jason Hibbets, along with other neighborhood leaders are challenging state and city leaders to find the funding and begin work. More than 500 people have signed an online petition to complete the project and therefore eliminate what Hibbets calls, "The Garner Death Curve."

"I'm challenging the public works committee and leaders to step up and take action. If we can find the funding to replace the bridge and connect it to the Renaissance Park road, we can eliminate some of these safety concerns," Hibbets said.

For more information on the Tryon Road project, log onto the advocacy group's facebook page: www.facebook.com/TryonRoad. The online petition can be found at www.renparkonline.com/tryonroad.