Goldsboro officials work to pave dirt roads
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on December 22, 2017 5:50 AM
Two dirt road paths on Oak Hill Drive and Chestnut Street will be paved in 2018, as Goldsboro officials continue to work toward paving dirt streets in the city.
Based on a list of high priority areas, the council recently selected one block of Oak Hill Drive, from Green Drive to North Berkeley Boulevard, and one block of Chestnut Street, from South Slocumb to South Leslie Street.
The new street construction is estimated to cost $455,000, which would be paid for through the city's general fund, said Kaye Scott, Goldsboro finance director.
The project is planned to take place after the start of the city's 2018-19 fiscal year, which starts in July, said Marty Anderson, Goldsboro chief city engineer.
The two blocks were selected from a priority list of more than 50 dirt streets. Four road sections, including Oak Hill Drive and Chestnut Street, are ranked as high priority by the city. A section of Bain Street, near Royall Avenue, and Slocumb Street, near Simmons Street, are also considered high priority areas for future road construction.
The two blocks that were selected are in residential areas with high road usage and maintenance required.
"We prioritized them on how much maintenance we had to put into them," Anderson said.
There are seven medium priority streets and more than 40 low priority roads. Medium priority roads include sections along Branch, Carolina, Crepe Myrtle and Olive Streets.
The construction of roads on dirt streets started this year, under a near $490,000 contract, and included paving Humphrey Street, from Fourth to Eighth streets, and Dakota Street, from Aycock to Fourth streets.
The council will consider other dirt roads for pavement in an annual basis, Anderson said.