Part of 70 named in memory of Bailey
By Steve Herring
Published in News on September 11, 2016 1:45 AM
A section of the new U.S. 70 Bypass will be named in memory of a Kenly man who was killed last year while working on the highway.
The N.C. Transportation Board Thursday agreed to name the section of the road from Ebenezer Church Road to the U.S. 117 overpass at Belfast in memory of William "Grey" Bailey.
Bailey, 35, a DOT engineering technician who had been with the department since 2010, was struck and killed in March 2015 while working near the site of the bypass' west end.
This past May Wayne County commissioners approved a resolution to petition the state to name a section of the road in memory of Bailey.
Commissioner Wayne Aycock attended Thursday's Transportation Board quarterly meeting.
"We felt like since he died serving the state of North Carolina that it would be appropriate to name a section of the new road in his honor," Aycock said. "We hit a stumbling block. Bridges, roads and things can be named after Highway Patrolmen, sheriff's deputies, politicians, civic people who have contributed a lot to a county or whatever.
"There is a clause in it (policy) that DOT workers, anything cannot be named after DOT workers if they were killed on the job."
But that didn't seem "right" so the county took another track, Aycock said.
"He was very active in his community in Johnston County, up in the Bethany area," Aycock said. "He was real active in his church, real active in sports in his area and real active in the Bethany Fire Department.
"So we went that route. That was the angle that we had to go to get the section of road named after him. It took a little bit of twisting and turning, but we got it accomplished. I just felt like it was appropriate. He had twin daughters who were a year and a half old when he got killed."
Bailey's widow, Millicent "Millie" Bailey of Kenly, and Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell also attend the Thursday meeting, Aycock said.
Aycock said he did not know when the signs would be ready or a dedication ceremony held.
"They recommended up there today not have it out on the actual highway because the new road is open and because of the traffic," Aycock said. "I am thinking we will have something at the DOT yard (on U.S. 117 West).
"But we are not nearly far enough along to know exactly when and where. The signs have to be made and then we have to work with his wife's schedule. She is a deputy in Johnston County. Steve said whatever it took he would make her schedule work."
Bailey was a 1998 graduate of North Johnston High School.
He served as a firefighter for 14 years with the Bethany Volunteer Fire Department and was a member of Bethany Missionary Baptist Church.