Commissioners approve list of secondary roads to be paved

By Lisa Majors-Duff

Presiding at the meeting was DOT Highway Commissioner Conrad Burrell of Sylva, who also serves as a county commissioner. According to Burrell, Jackson County's share of the state secondary road paving program funds will be $3,539,763 as of July 1.

"These are anticipated funds, but we don't expect any changes," said DOT Division Maintenance Engineer Jay Swain. The state gas tax is used to generate revenue for the paving program, and some 20 percent of the county funds are designated to address safety issues, including widening roads and repairing bridges, he said.

Roads proposed to be paved during the 2001-02 fiscal year include 2.6 miles of Nettie Mtn. Road (SR 1757); 1.85 miles of Pilot Mtn. Road (SR 1130); 1.5 miles of White Rock Road (SR 1164); 0.9 miles of Moody Road (SR 1172); 0.28 miles of Cagle Cove Road (SR 1467); 0.07 miles of SR 1789, which has no name; 0.7 miles of Robinson Creek Road (SR 1127); 0.18 miles of SR 1561, which also has no name; 1.35 miles of Middleton Road (SR 1772); 0.15 miles of Greens Creek Cemetery Road (SR 1108); 0.46 miles of Judaculla Rock Road (SR 1741); 0.1 miles of Cane Creek Road (SR 1709A); 0.12 miles of Oscar Norton Road (SR 1332); and 0.25 miles of Snowshoe Trail (SR 1579). The total length proposed to be paved in the next fiscal year is 10.51 miles.

Paving of these roads is contingent on state funds and acquisition of right of ways and any necessary environmental assessments, said District Engineer Ron Watson. If any of these contingencies are not met, the backup list of roads will be moved up on the priority list, he said.

That list includes 1.5 miles of Bullpen Road (SR 1100A); 1.5 miles of Sugar Loaf Road (SR 1707); 0.8 miles of Joe Fowler Road (SR 1173A); 0.95 miles of Owens Gap Road (SR 1763); 0.3 miles of Mayflower Road (SR 1578); 0.11 miles of McCoy Road (SR 1464); 0.21 miles of Archway Drive (SR 1187); 1.8 miles of Frank Ridgon Road (SR 1752); 0.6 miles of Silvermine Road (SR 1105A); 0.16 miles of Old Grasshopper Road (SR 1366); 0.7 miles of Angel Mathis Road (SR 1179): 0.2 miles of Sols Creek Road (SR 1138); 0.12 miles of Jim Cannon Road (SR 1376); 1.15 miles of Shoal Creek Road (SR 1158); and 0.02 miles of New School Road (SR 1545). The total length proposed to be paved on the backup list is 10.12 miles.

"Within three years we will have offered pavement to all gravel roads in Western North Carolina," Swain said. "I say 'offered' because this is a voluntarily program. The key is that the program represents a promise kept by the N.C. Legislature and the DOT to get roads paved."

Those present for the hearing Monday mainly had questions for DOT officials about how the agency acquires right of ways and how it interacts with the U.S. Forest Service, the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agency and the Corps of Engineers. Each of these departments plays a role in deciding if a road is to be paved, Watson said.

Audience members also had concerns about unpaved school bus routes hampered by winter weather conditions and drivers traveling too fast for conditions on gravel roads.

"I've only been on the board for three months, and I've heard many of these complaints already," said Burrell, who abstained from the county commission vote to approve the paving lists. "Since I serve on both boards, I'll have to vote on these road again."

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