Commissioners defer vote on New Bern Neuse Boulevard RAISE grant support after safety study debate

Diana Treble, representing the Metropolitan Planning Organization, told the Craven County Board of Commissioners that a North Carolina Department of Transportation vulnerable user study identified Neuse Boulevard (from Glen Burnie to First Street) as a high-crash corridor and recommended measures including a road diet with a center turn lane, added pedestrian crossings, sidewalks and bike lanes. Treble said the MPO and NCDOT plan to apply for a federal RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) grant that could bring about $25,000,000 in federal funds plus roughly $1 million from the state to implement planning-level improvements; if awarded, design would take about two years and include public engagement.

The discussion focused on safety trade-offs and traffic flow. Commissioners and members of the public raised concerns about congestion at peak hours on the existing four-lane section, the effect on first responders and hospital access (CarolinaEast was described as a stakeholder), and whether the project would lock in raised medians rather than a paint-based center turn lane. Treble said the current application would emphasize a center turn lane (a nonraised treatment) with bike lanes and sidewalks, and that some channelizing medians might be used only at specific intersections. She also said the MPO expects NCDOT traffic modeling to project no increase in congestion through 2050 and that the grant application would cover the corridor limits from Glen Burnie to First Street for this funding round.

Board members debated timing and local control of design. Commissioners emphasized that NCDOT would collaborate with local stakeholders during design, and that the application’s high-level elements—road diet, bike lanes, sidewalk—would form the basis of the submission but detailed design would follow if the grant is awarded. Commissioners asked whether the county would be required to provide matching funds; Treble said no county match was required for the application. Several commissioners and speakers urged caution, noting earlier local road-diet examples that increased travel time or business concerns.

The board first voted on a motion to adopt a resolution of support for the RAISE grant application; the roll-call responses recorded in the meeting were: Commissioner Mitchell — Yes; Chairman Booker — Yes; Commissioner Hunt — No; Commissioner Smith — No; Commissioner Howard — No; Vice Chairman Jones — No. The motion failed. After further discussion, Commissioner Hunt moved to postpone consideration until the board’s next meeting (two weeks later) to allow additional outreach to first responders and for staff to clarify language in the draft resolution about “median treatments.” The motion to postpone passed on roll call with recorded votes: Commissioner Hunt — Yes; Commissioner Smith — Yes; Commissioner Howard — Yes; Vice Chairman Jones — Yes; Commissioner Mitchell — No; Chairman Booker — No. The board directed staff to place the item on the next agenda and asked the county attorney and MPO to clarify or remove language that might be read as endorsing raised medians.

Why it matters: Neuse Boulevard serves motorists, pedestrians and emergency vehicles; the corridor includes a hospital and heavy commuter flows. The grant would move the project from planning to design and construction only if funded. Postponement gives commissioners more time to consult first responders and finalize precise language for the county’s letter of support.

What’s next: The MPO is finalizing application materials with a near-term submission deadline; county staff and the MPO will work to revise the draft resolution and return the item to the board at its next regular meeting for a recorded vote.