Roads top commission agenda
By Steve Herring
Published in News on April 30, 2012 1:46 PM
Relief could be just ahead for drivers stuck in traffic on Wayne Memorial Drive caused by motorists trying to turn left onto Tommy's Road.
Widening Wayne Memorial Drive to create a left-turn lane is among projects in the county's proposed $1.3 million secondary road program, which will be the subject of a public hearing by the Wayne County Board of Commissioners at its meeting Tuesday.
The hearing will start at 9:15 a.m. in the commissioners' meeting room on the fourth floor of the county courthouse annex. The meeting gets under way with an agenda briefing at 8 a.m.
Also, commissioners will discuss dedication ceremonies for the sections of Interstate 795 to be named in honor of former county commissioner Andy Anderson and former congressman Martin Lancaster, both of whom were instrumental in getting the road built to interstate standards.
Backed-up traffic at the Wayne Memorial Drive-Tommy's Road intersection has worsened, officials say, because of increasing development and changing traffic patterns. Adding the turn lanes is expected to cost about $225,000.
The State Transportation Improvement Plan includes eventually four-laning Wayne Memorial Drive from New Hope Road to the new bypass. However, that is a relatively long-range project, about late 2020, although there are hopes it will move up.
Also in the county's plan is:
* $250,000 for paving seven-tenths of a mile of Dobbs County Courthouse Road between the dead end and Main Street.
* $300,000 for paving one mile of Dickerson Farm Road between Union Grove Church Road and Memorial Church Road
* $150,000 to replace crossline pipes on various roads
* $200,000 for preventative maintenance
* $150,000 maintenance fund allotment to supplement the maintenance budget for activities including shoulder repair, spot stabilization, pipe replacement, safety project, industrial access and other activities.
The program is subject to the availability of funding, right of way and environmental review.
The county earlier this month was notified by the state Department of Transportation that its request for naming the I-795 sections had been approved.
The stretch of road from just south of the Pikeville-Princeton Road northward five miles to the vicinity of the Wayne/Wilson county line will be named the W. Andy Anderson Freeway.
The section of road from near the I-795 and U.S. 70 interchange northward approximately five miles will be named the H. Martin Lancaster Freeway.
It is expected to take between eight and 12 weeks to complete the process of installing signs for each section.
In other business Tuesday, commissioners will consider a resolution asking the state to budget a $660,000 match in order for the state to receive $4 million in federal Help America Vote Act funding. The federal funds can be used for poll worker training and technical support, licenses, maintenance and testing of voting equipment and support for early voting sites.
The board also will be asked to adopt three proclamations: Peace Officers Memorial Week; Older Americans Month; and Mental Health Month.
Commissioners will tour the county detention center at 10 a.m. and sit as the Board of Equalization and Review at 11 a.m. At noon they will have lunch at Wilber's Barbecue with county school students. The students, who are participating in local government week events, will "shadow" various county department managers and employees before the lunch.