Please pardon the mess during renovations! The Town of Murphy is excited for the future of Downtown Murphy. There are multiple ongoing and future projects within Downtown Murphy.
Downtown Waterline Replacement
Currently the Town of Murphy is replacing approximately 2,800 linear feet of 100+ year old waterlines in the downtown. Ledford and Parker, Inc. is the contractor performing the work, with a low bid of $1,132,466. The Town is performing the work this year in order to get ahead of the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s milling and resurfacing work – scheduled for downtown in the spring of 2024.
- Project area includes: Tennessee Street downtown intersection to Murphy School of Dance. Valley River Avenue downtown intersection to Hickory Street. Hiwassee Street downtown intersection to Murphy Housing Authority. Peachtree Street downtown intersection to Bill Hughes Avenue.
- The Town will replace approximately 55 water services in the downtown area; new meter boxes and meters will be installed primarily in sidewalks – in front of each building.
- Most of the construction is occurring within parking lanes, keeping vehicle and pedestrian traffic open as much as possible.
- Most work is occurring at night from 7pm to 7am in order to minimize disruptions.
- At least 48 hours’ notice will be provided for planned water outages.
Milling and Repaving by NCDOT
Starting in Spring 2024 the North Carolina Department of Transportation will be milling and repaving multiple roads within Downtown Murphy.
- Tennessee St: Joe Brown Highway Bridge to Center of Town
- Hiwassee St: US 64/74/19 to Center of Town
- Peachtree St: US 74/19 to Center of Town
- Valley River Ave: Konehete Veterans Park to Center of Town
In addition, NCDOT agreed to do the following after repaving:
- Restripe the roads through downtown thereby bringing 4 lanes of traffic down to 3 lanes (one lane in each direction with a turn lane/truck lane in the center)
- Use the extra space gained with the elimination of one lane to extend the length of on-street parking spots
- Replace the traffic signal with a one-lane roundabout
- Transform parallel parking spaces on Hiwassee St to head-in parking spaces, thereby increasing the number of public parking spaces
The benefits will include:
- Increased pedestrian safety (less lanes to cross, refuge in the center, lower speeds)
- Longer parking spaces
- Better traffic flow
- Dedicated space for delivery trucks
- More parking
Murphy Town Square Revitalization
In December 2022 the Town of Murphy was awarded a Rural Transformation Grant for the revitalization of the 4 downtown pocket parks into a town square. Improvements will begin in 2024.
The plan calls for a brick-paver design to be installed at all four pocket park corners, with downlights and other enhancement features – including a small stage. The stage will provide a venue for small concerts, films, civic events, and other activities. “We are very excited about what this means for downtown Murphy, and what it will do to make our town more inviting and pedestrian-friendly,” said Mayor Tim Radford. “It’s only going to add even more great things to an already vibrant downtown area,” Mayor Radford added.