Commissioners decline N.C. 110 improvement funds

May 7—After an hour-long discussion with N.C. Rep. Mark Pless about $1.9 million in state funds he secured to make improvements on a five-mile stretch of N.C. 110, Haywood County commissioners were unconvinced the project was a good use of taxpayer dollars.

With only Board Chairman Kevin Ensley favoring the project, the remaining board members opted to take no action to tap the earmarked funding in the 2021-22 state budget — funds that will be diverted to other state needs if not used as specified.

At a previous board meeting in April, commissioners said they had received calls opposing the project, and Commissioner Tommy Long suggested tabling the issue until the May meeting.

The purpose of Pless' earmarked funding was to "create a pedestrian walkway on each side of Highway 110 from the roundabout in Canton to the intersection of Highway 110 and Highway 276," according to Assistant County Manager Kris Boyd.

The scope of work would include clipping, grading and clearing the shoulders, paving new shoulders that would extend four feet on both sides of the road, and relocating signs and guardrails where needed.

During the discussion with commissioners at last week's county meeting, Pless made a case for the project. He said the underlying motivation of the shoulder project was to trigger the DOT to also repave the five-mile stretch.

He provided photos of the roadway where water pooled, pavement had been patched and places where drainage issues had been fixed, but quickly filled up with sediment.

"This is the only option I could come up with to solve the problem, protect the road and get it resurfaced," Pless said of the shoulder project billed as a walkway.

Long said the issue appeared to be lack of maintenance, not the need to create a walkway along the shoulder for pedestrians. N.C. 110 and N.C. 209 are the two widest state roads in the county, he added.

"Doing this project won't solve the problem of maintenance. We are trying to put paint over a problem, and it will come back again if we don't address drainage issues," Long said.

Pless said when he was looking at problem areas along the road — where he's lived for 35 years — he asked the DOT about cutting the shoulders back so the water could drain, which he thought would fix the problem.

The state no longer does that kind of work because if there is a drop-off along the edge of the shoulder that causes an accident, the state would be liable, he said.

Legislators no longer have the power to direct state road projects or set priorities. But calling for a pedestrian path would be an impetus to get N.C 110 paving done sooner rather than later, Pless said.

"I can't fund a bicycle path, but I can fund a pedestrian path because I have explained the dangers," he said, noting there are seven trailer parks along the stretch of highway.

Tying a pedestrian pathway into an existing road has never been done before, so there is no place people can drive to visualize the finished product, he said, which could be one reason why people are skeptical.

Originally, the county would have been on the hook to cover any costs above $1.9 million, but Pless said he worked it out so no extra local funds would be required.

Board misgivings

Commissioner Jennifer Best asked how closely the pedestrian walkway work would be tied to the road repaving.

Pless said the grading, clearing and pedestrian pathway paving would happen this year and the roadway surface would be paved the following year.

Best said she's had calls from constituents concerned about how public funds are being spent and said she's concerned about the lag time between the pedestrian walkway work and when the road will supposedly be paved.

"Oftentimes I can reconcile those questions, but I'm struggling with this one," she said of the project. "It's not been maintained to this point. I don't know that by taking up what we have and repaving it will correct the fact we're not maintaining it already."

She said the road speed on N.C. 110 is 50 miles an hour, and expressed concerns about having a walkway on a road where traffic moves that quickly.

Commissioner Terry Ramey said the main concerns he's heard are that people are afraid the next step will be water and sewer lines, and it won't be long before the road will look like Russ Avenue.

Commissioner Brandon Rogers said he had concerns with the state not maintaining the existing road and has heard from people who are worried about the foot traffic the walkway would bring. He's also worried whether the perception that a wider swath of paved surface, one that would be 8 feet wider than it is now, could increase speeds.

"I'd have a tough time supporting this from a personal standpoint as well as the constituents who have contacted me. We don't need this because of what it's going to bring," Rogers said.

Ensley, the only board member voicing support for applying for the money, indicated no reservations about the project.

"From my engineering brain, this is maintenance and safety," he said. "Doing this and paving the road will take care of the problem for another 30 years."

In his pitch for the county to accept the funding, Pless said state law prohibits forced annexation, which would contain urban sprawl, and that the Canton sewer system has no capacity to accept new customers for five to six years.

He agreed lack of maintenance was a major concern but said the existing road has been there since the 1970s, and the work he's proposed will fix the problems and last for years.

To those who said there are more pressing needs in the county that the $1.9 million could go toward, Pless said the money needed to be spent as earmarked or turned back over to the state.

He detailed the list of state funds he's brought to the county, saying that in addition to the funding already received for Tropical Storm Fred damages, another $60 million is in the hopper.

There's $10 million to dredge Lake Logan, funds for the Cruso fire station, money to cover buyouts for flood victims, $8 million for debris removal and $7 million for housing.

"It has to come in phases, because you can't spend it as fast as I'm sending it," Pless said.

Board members profusely praised Pless for all he's done for the county, but none made a motion to set wheels in motion to accept the $1.9 million.

Pless said he checked into redirecting the funds and that's not possible. If they are not spent as specified in the budget, the money will be used elsewhere.