Enlivening city streets is a fundamental objective of urban revitalization projects across the country. As the Town of Cary, North Carolina sought to pursue their vision for downtown Cary as a destination for the local community and visitors, they partnered with Clark Nexsen on the Academy Street Improvements project to develop an engaging streetscape suitable for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

Academy Street runs through the heart of downtown Cary and has been transformed into a signature street where drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians can enjoy the vibrant atmosphere more safely. Intended to serve as a “festival street” during downtown events, the Academy Street design incorporates street furniture and public art to deliver an enhanced sense of place. Our team provided planning, streetscape design, engineering services, and landscape architecture for this project, which encompassed 3,000 linear feet. To create a space the community would embrace, the project involved extensive public outreach and community engagement in addition to land planning, water and sanitary sewer repairs and upgrades, utility relocations, storm drainage upgrades, traffic signal design, street lighting, and electrical infrastructure to support festivals.

Awards
2018 APA-NC Award for Great Main Street in the Making
2018 ACEC North Carolina Honor Award for Engineering Excellence in Transportation
2017 TCREW Champion Award for Community Enhancement