Sanford NC US 421 Bypass
| A bypass of US 421 around Sanford has been under construction for several years. US 421 currently goes through town. Anyone who has hit every light red has wished the bypass was finished. A short section From Colon Road to Kelly Road has been open for over a year (Section C on map below). This section is in a quiet fairly remote area and hasn’t seen much traffic.That will change in a few weeks when two additional sections of the bypass open. These sections will connect US 1 with NC 42 (sections B and D on the map below). These two sections will make access to US 1 from Broadway much easier. No doubt a lot of traffic will travel the couple of miles down NC 42 to miss the red lights on Horner Boulevard through downtown. Unfortunately, NC 42 is only 2 lanes, and this road will be overloaded until the final two sections (Sections A and E on the map below) are completed. The NCDOT has delayed the final two sections and they will not be finished for several years. |  |
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You may wonder how this affects the real estate market in Sanford. The bypass will make some areas like Broadway and Carolina Trace easier commutes to Raleigh, Cary, and RTP. Some neighborhoods are very close to the bypass and will see increased noise from traffic. For neighborhoods adjacent to the sections under construction it is easy to see where the bypass is located.For the two sections of the bypass not yet under construction, it is more difficult to determine how the bypass will affect individual neighborhoods. One tool that can help is the Lee County GIS system, which allows the future bypass to be placed on top of a current county map. I had a client who was looking for a quiet subdivision. I gave him a printout of the GIS map and he was surprised to learn that a subdivision which is currently very quiet will pass within a few hundred yards of the last section of the bypass. |
Visit my Sanford NC Homes website for more information about homes in Sanford, Lee County, or Harnett County in North Carolina.
Rita Taylor
ERA Strother Real Estate
“Taylored” For You!
Rita - I know after they re-designed our Big I it really makes the traffic easier. I can now hit a feeder road and get to the other side of town in about 15 minutes compared to a minimum of 30 before. - Ashley
10 Oct 2007 at 8:19 pm
Ashley,
The part they are opening in November should cut out 10-15 minutes of sitting in traffic for some folks. Once they get the whole bypass finished it will make getting around town a lot easier.
12 Oct 2007 at 8:11 pm
One significant benefit that this bypass will deliver is the reduction of noise and traffic congestion for the historic downtown residential districts of Sanford that Horner(US421) currently bisects.
Similarly it should benefit the historic downtown business area ( www.downtownsanford.com ) by allowing traffic and pedestrians more relaxed and safe access to the area. As Sanford has invested heavily into improving the downtown area to make it more attractive to pedestrians and boutique type business, this new bypass should only help to enhance that atmosphere once the hectic nature of Horner is more subdued.
With the current volume of traffic, Horner can be dangerous, loud, and actually damaging to structures from vibration and crashes. In fact, we’ve had two major incidents with tractor trailers over the last year on Horner in downtown.
So, once this bypass is open, it should provide a benefit for everyone, residents, businesses, trucking, and just generally improve the quality of life in the downtown area.
With the Sanford historic residential districts such as Rosemount McIver Park seeing a definite uptick in investment and restoration over the last few years, this latest development of the bypass opening will only serve to be one more factor making this part of town very attractive for home buyers, especially those interested in older historic homes.
We are definitely looking forward to it.
Al
27 Nov 2007 at 2:20 pm
Al,
Thank you for visiting my site and commenting. I am looking forward to this section opening as well. As you point out, Horner Boulevard is currently very congested with traffic.
I really love some of the older homes in the historic district. I enjoy watching as homes which are in need of repair are bought and brought into better condition. Older homes often come with character that can be missing in some of the newer subdivisions.
Rita
28 Nov 2007 at 6:49 pm