Council rescinds Newcastle Way design contract; predesign study paused

The Newcastle City Council voted 4-2 on Feb. 4 to rescind Resolution 2025-1022, which had approved a design contract with David Evans and Associates for the Newcastle Way widening predesign. Council member Quigg introduced the motion to rescind, saying the council should delay spending until there is clearer public support and more study of alternatives.

Why it matters: Council members debated whether to fund an early-stage predesign study costing about $188,000 or to defer that work until later. Supporters said the predesign is a routine, necessary step to qualify the city for outside grants and to inform later construction decisions; opponents said the city should not proceed without clearer public buy-in and better justification for a project that could later grow into a multimillion-dollar widening.

Council member Quigg said she asked for more time to study the project and hear from neighbors: “That’s why I asked to take a second look at this.” She told colleagues she uses the route frequently and wanted confidence the public wants the work before the city spends money.

Council member Charbonneau described the scope of the vote as limited. “This is a predesign phase. So this is not the construction of the project,” she said, noting the agenda item was for roughly a $188,000 predesign contract, not a $13 million construction contract. Charbonneau said roughly 85% of the predesign funding would come from transportation impact fees and about 15% from stormwater management fees, money that, she said, is restricted to transportation and related uses.

Director Bronze (Public Works) told the council the city has a long planning history for the corridor and that predesign work is a standard step that makes the city competitive for grant funding. Bronze highlighted the city’s recent history of following predesign and construction on other corridors and said the Newcastle Way item was on the city’s multi-year transportation docket.

Opponents of proceeding now, including Council member Griffin, argued the council has hired consultants who produced studies the city did not later follow and that spending should wait until there is clearer public demand. Resident speakers at public comment echoed those concerns, urging the council to gather more local data and engage neighbors before committing funds for more consultant work.

Mayor Clark summarized the council’s position that the project could be revisited at a later juncture and emphasized the council had previously moved the project to the end of its six-year window because the case for immediate work was not compelling. After discussion, Council member Quigg moved to rescind the earlier resolution; the motion was seconded and passed 4-2.

The formal action rescinds the authorization for the predesign contract with David Evans and Associates; the council did not approve replacement design work at the meeting. Council members did not record a roll-call of individual yes/no votes in the public transcript; the clerk recorded the motion as passing by a 4-to-2 margin.

What’s next: Council members and staff said the item could be reintroduced later in the year if public input or new data alters priorities. Council members also flagged that transportation projects often require predesign to secure outside grant funding, so deferring predesign may limit near-term grant eligibility.

Ending: The rescission leaves the Newcastle Way widening predesign uncontracted; staff and council members signaled they may reopen the item later with additional outreach or data.