After the recent bunch of articles about how crappy Estes Drive Extension is and how unlikely it is to get better any time soon, I’d like to make a modest proposal.
There are two other possible ways to get from the railroad crossing on Estes to downtown Carrboro. Both alternatives offer a way for cyclists, pedestrians, and wheelchairs to avoid the Straits of Estes. Right now these routes are informal, only used by those of us willing to cross other people’s property and bring a flashlight at night.
One method involves cutting across Estes Park Apartments to the end of Pleasant Drive and walking south on North Greensboro Street. The other route is even more straightforward: follow the existing rail line which connects downtown Carrboro to the future Carolina North, as well as to many neighborhoods including Ironwoods and Northhaven subdivisions, and the more dense (ie: pedestrian-oriented) Estes Park, Bolinwood, and Village West. And as a bonus it would also tie in to the popular hiking and biking trails around Bolin Creek north of Estes.
In this map I have attempted to illustrate these two paths as well as a connection that would be needed to get from the rairoad crossing to Seawell School Road (where the wide shoulder starts).
See discussion at http://orangepolitics.org/2006/10/alternatives-to-estes

The Town of Chapel Hill is proposing an extension of the Bolin Creek Greenway that would very effectively connect the Estes Extension area to downtown.
I am adding some trails related to that proposal. Discussion at: http://orangepolitics.org/2007/04/bolin-creek-greenway-expansion