June 24, 2008 — It's a road that zig-zags like a snake with traffic that habitually moves like a turtle. What to do about Raphune Hill was the topic of a two-hour public hearing Tuesday at the Charlotte Kimelman Cancer Center.
The Department of Public Works (DPW) held the hearing in conjunction with the Federal Highway Administration. The two agencies rolled out a three-phase proposal that includes turning Raphune Hill into a four-lane road, minus its hairpin turn, drawing no shortage of public opinion when they opened the floor to comment.
Officials stressed that the proposal is in the planning stages. Public input is being sought through July 15, after which an environmental assessment and impact report would ensue, followed by another public hearing slated for late 2008. Should the plan win approval, design work would begin in 2009 and construction would start possibly late that year, and into 2010.
The first phase calls for improving the intersections at the bottom of Raphune Hill, including at the entrance to the Roy Lester Schneider Hospital. Phase two calls for the relocation of Route 381 — which currently ties into Villa Blanca at the top of the hill — 1,000 feet west so it's across from Al Cohen's Plaza. The current configuration is dangerous, according to Wystan D. Benjamin, the highway program manager for DPW, because the intersection is too near the hilltop and lacks sight distance.
It was the road widening, phase three, that triggered debate, while the other two phases drew practically no resistance. The widening would involve the acquisition of private property, as well as temporary easements to enable construction workers to maneuver. Officials said they weren't certain at this point how many pieces of property or easements would be required, although an estimated 40 property owners border the hill. They were certain, however, that the four-family Lockhart residence, tucked into the nape of the hairpin turn on Raphune Hill, would have to be acquired and demolished.
"It's my job to see you get just compensation for any land we acquire to build this project," Neil T. Maher of DPW told the audience. Maher's job is to oversee land acquisition. "I'm not a cheapskate. I'm here to pay fair market value for your property, or a little bit more. We're not trying to be adversarial."
Alaine Lockhart-Mollah wondered how her family would be compensated for their emotional attachment to the property.
"It just seems that there's no value for emotional value when you come to this process," she said.
"Is emotional value going to reflect in your appraisal?" Maher told her. "No. Is it going to reflect in our dealings with you? Yes."
Several audience members suggested leaving Raphune Hill a two-lane road, but one way going down, and constructing another two-lane road behind the hospital, creating a loop. A similar plan was rejected years ago, but audience member Helen Gjessing argued that the loop would be less destructive to Raphune Hill and offer more options for the future.
While some pressed Benjamin, saying the widening sounded like a done deal, Benjamin insisted all ideas and comments would be considered.
"That's why we're here," he said. "I think the next time we meet, we'll have some alternatives up there … we have a lot of data to collect and things we don't know."
Benjamin suggested the new road might be a separate project, and added that far less property has to be acquired to widen as opposed to building a new road.
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