Because You Asked: When does the South Durham Lowe's open?

First, a thank-you to the readers who wrote in with suggestions for our new "Because You Asked" feature. We've got folks working on tracking down the answer to a few of them.

The answer to one of them bounced in our lap, and so, hey, let's get it out there.

BCR reader Dottie wrote in to ask:

When will the new Lowe's on Martin Luther King, Jr. Parkway and [Fayetteville Rd.] open?

Well, we didn't end up doing too much sleuthing to find this one out; the answer actually turned up in a news story printed over at Triangle Business Journal:

Lowe’s will open one of its home improvement stores in south Durham by early August, adding 175 jobs to the area.

Construction of the 117,000-square-foot facility at the intersection of Fayetteville Road and Martin Luther King Parkway is largely complete. All that remains is for it to be stocked and employees hired.

So -- there you have it. Early August it is.

Have a Bull City question you've been itching to know the answer to? Write us at info@bullcityrising.com.  --Ed.

Comments

[aburtch]

Thanks very much for the timely info. I think "Because you asked" will be a great feature.

I find it very interesting how in some areas I am very brand (or retailer) loyal. And yet after years of shopping at Home Depot because it was the closest home improvement store to me, I am ready to jump ship. As soon as the Lowes opens on Fayetteville street they will have my business.

Why? Location, location, location. It will be right up the street from me and very convenient. Will I miss Home Depot? Probably not, in my experience the two stores are very similar.

I do frequent the True Value Hardware stores both on 54 and at the Woodcroft shopping center and will continue to do so. Their customer service is second to none. The rental center at the one on 54 is excellent and really comes in handy since I do not own a lot of tools. But they do not carry everything that the big box retailers do.

[Visconti]

Due to the opening of the new Lowe's, the intersection of Fayetteville Street with the American Tobacco Trail has been widened with turn lanes. That makes this intersection the widest and probably the most dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists along the trail.

Even though I assume the traffic light button for crossing will return (it has been removed during the construction stage), we all know that a large majority of drivers making right turns do not stop nor yield to pedestrians or cyclists.

Someone floated the idea of a new bridge there. If that's too expensive, traffic engineers may want to restrict right turns on red or take some other measure to allow trail users to cross safely.

[GreenLantern]

@Visconti: Traffic engineers don't need to do anything more at that intersection. Restricting right on red does nothing to improve pedestrian safety. Pedestrians like you need to cross when they are supposed to, not anywhere and anytime they feel like it. They also need to stay out of the bicycle lanes and not jog or walk their dogs in the street--that's what the sidewalks and trails are for. Besides, the vast majority using that intersection and most all others around town are drivers, so the majority rules, and the majority want fewer lights, wider intersections, and dedicated turn lanes to make their trips safer and more efficient. Stop blaming all the accidents on drivers anyway. The roads are for vehicles. You cross when you're supposed to and wait for drivers to stop and acknowledge you before you step out in front of them and you won't have any problem.

[Jason]

As a frequent pedestrian and cyclist on that stretch of the ATT I can say that I've never felt unsafe crossing an intersection. Regaurdless of restricting right on red, I'm always going to look over my shoulder and make sure I'm clear before venturing off the curb. The motorist for the most part are always accommodating, but I will always yield to an automobile, just because I don't want to be a splat on their windshield.

[Visconti]

To GreenLantern: >

There is a clear difference of opinion. The opinion of many others is that it does improve safety and that is why it is used in many locations and other states and countries. Patronizing me and other pedestrians (by the way, I'm a cyclist, not a pedestrian) avoids reality. Pedestrians and cyclists are vulnerable and they need to be protected. I am speaking for pedestrians and cyclists who obey the laws and only cross when they need to. My wife and I have encountered numerous vehicles that do not respect pedestrians at crossings: they jump lights, don't yield on right turns (even if you are already in the middle of the street or even if there is a sign that tells them to), etc.).

>

As a car driver I disagree. I want more traffic lights within the city at certain locations. There are parts of the city that are a mess and need traffic lights, like the Northpointe area. As a car driver and city resident, within the city limits, I do not want streets designed like freeways.

I don't want wider streets and I don't want turn lanes everywhere. Frankly, you are completely out of touch and you do not represent the majority. Many neighborhoods fought the widening of Roxboro near I-85 and other similar measures. Many of us do not share your suburbanization model.

[bb]

Green Lantern,
Aren't there signs in the 9th Street crosswalks that point out that it is a state law for motorists to yield to pedestrians when they're in the crosswalks? Is your argument that majority rule should supercede this law, or am I misunderstanding something?

[GreenLantern]

@bb: Everyone knows motorists are supposed to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, so your argument is a red herring. Even when crossing in the middle of the street and disregarding laws with regards to bike lanes, etc., motorists are still obliged to yield to cyclists and pedestrians.

As far as what the majority wants, I've seen a gradual increase in urban residents' desire to have more traffic lights, speed bumps, neckdowns, two-way laning, and all sorts of other strategies designed to eventually shut down inner Durham from suburban drivers. I guess with all the gentrifcation going on, some urban neighborhood activists want to put up roadblocks to through traffic from the suburbs. It's almost like they view suburbanites as second class citizens, although they are first class taxpayers that are expected to go along with whatever urbanites want in terms of spending, including the East End Connector proposal. I don't use downtown personally for my commute because I live on the east end, but I've never run into anyone in the suburbs that thinks downtown should be less connective or that any major intersection should have fewer turn lanes just because some people feel a little more uncomfortable crossing the road where and when they are supposed to. Depending on where you draw the urban boundary, probably I85, 15-501, US 70 & MLK Blvd, the suburbs make up the vast majority of Durham County residents.

And as far as motorists are concerned, the state should have completely banned the use of cell phones while driving, not just texting. Everyone would feel and actually be safer if that were to happen since most of the increase in accidents these days is a result of cell phones while driving.

As to whether the new Lowes is a good thing for me, I'd still rather have my Home Depot at Brightleaf Commons, along with a new Kroger or Harris Teet. That way, I'll never have to pilgrimage through gentrified neighborhoods on my way to those suburban retail "holy places".