In the past few years, the Town of Apex has had some serious growth, and it doesn’t look to be stopping anytime soon. It used to be a quiet place, but now it’s one of the fastest-growing towns in the Triangle area. With new houses, stores, and schools all over, Apex is trying to plan ahead so the roads and traffic don’t get too crazy.
Right now, about 80,000 people live in Apex, but they think it will hit 100,000 by 2030. The big goal is to make travel better for people who live, work, and visit the area, since Mayor Jacques Gilbert said the town’s population is just going to continue to grow
“We’re always working on those issues and those concerns and those plans. And we’re building that into every direction we go with our strategic planning,” Gilbert said to ABC 11. “So this is just another opportunity for us to make sure we get that right. So here we are.”
To help with that, town leaders are working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) on a new thing called a mobility hub, which is going to be in downtown Apex, close to North Salem and Moore streets.
The project, estimated at $13.45 million, is being led by design firm McAdams, known for their work on Fenton in Cary and Boxyard RTP.
Some things planned for the hub include a new place for buses and rideshare cars, a big parking deck with levels, a walking bridge over the train tracks, better sidewalks, and nicer street setups. There might even be a new Amtrak train platform added.
People who have been living in Apex for a long time now have strong opinions.
Resident Jennifer Johnson, who has lived in Apex for 25 years, said to ABC 11, “I’m happy with the growth and how they’re handling it. It’s not easy, and it makes for a lot of controversy for a lot of people living here who are actually from this town and have lived here all their lives. I see it.”
Ernest Green, who works at a local barbershop, agrees with the mayor.
Green also said to ABC 11, “When I come here from the outside, on the weekends you ain’t getting no parking space. So if you got something that close, I mean the foot traffic would be much better and greater.”
The town council already voted yes on doing a study about it on May 13. Now, they’re working on getting the money and help they need to start building it for real.
For high school students, this new mobility hub might actually help a lot, especially if you don’t drive yet. It could make it easier to walk around downtown, catch a ride to your job, or even take the train somewhere for a college visit.
It’s also part of Apex’s bigger idea to make the town more easy to walk around and connected. That’s not just good for students but also for families and local businesses. Since more people are moving here, the town wants to keep Apex easy to get around and full of cool stuff and chances for everyone.
