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Draft comprehensive transportation plan proposes 170 miles of roadway recommendations and right‑of‑way dedication policy
Summary
McAdams and county staff presented a draft countywide transportation plan July 21 that recommends 170 miles of roadway improvements, 88 miles of bicycle and pedestrian facilities, an interactive digital map and a developer policy to dedicate half of recommended roadway right‑of‑way at the time of development.
Johnston County’s draft Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) was presented to commissioners on July 21 by Will Lechworth of McAdams. The plan recommends 170 miles of roadway improvements, roughly 88 miles of bicycle and pedestrian facilities, targeted intersection safety upgrades and a new policy approach asking developers to dedicate half of future roadway right‑of‑way along project frontages when a development or rezoning creates new construction.
Lechworth said the project team had engaged more than 1,000 residents via three rounds of public meetings and an online survey and that the draft has been shared with county planning staff. He said the plan is deliberately more multimodal than the previous 11‑year‑old plan and is intended to align with recent land‑use work and regional studies such as NCDOT STIP and Campo’s Southeast Area Study.
“We’ve actually delivered a draft of the study to planning department staff,” Lechworth said, noting the plan’s digital, interactive map that will let developers and residents click recommendations and view linked cross sections and dimensional guidance.
A significant change recommended in the draft is an ordinance practice that would require dedication — or reservation in selected cases — of half the recommended roadway right‑of‑way when development occurs on a frontage. Lechworth explained that dedication means conveying the land to the county or NCDOT so future widening is less expensive and less disruptive; reservation means laying out development so the right‑of‑way can be acquired later without major impacts to the adjacent development.
Commissioners and staff discussed typical dimensions and maintenance responsibilities: Lechworth said many subdivision streets have 50‑foot rights‑of‑way, two‑lane NC routes are often 60 feet, and a multi‑use greenway recommendation would typically be a 12–14‑foot path within a smaller dedicated corridor. He added the plan contains only about eight miles of new‑location roadways; most recommendations are widening, safety and multimodal connections.
Schedule and next steps presented to the board call for a formal presentation to commissioners on Aug. 18, review by the planning board on Aug. 19 and a public hearing and adoption on Sept. 2, subject to coordination with the Upper Coastal Plain RPO and Campo. Staff and McAdams said they can adjust the schedule to accommodate additional regional review.
No board vote was taken; commissioners were asked to provide feedback and staff will post the draft plan and the interactive mapping tool for public review. The draft is intended to give the county a current, digital tool to support grant applications and to improve alignment with regional transportation priorities.
The plan presentation and the proposed right‑of‑way policy aim to reduce future project costs by securing corridor availability now and to streamline project delivery with clearer guidance for developers and NCDOT.
