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Town staff reports progress, right‑of‑way and geotechnical steps for Indian Trail Road Complete Street project
Summary
Staff updated council on right‑of‑way acquisitions, Union County water and sewer coordination, geotechnical borings required by CSX, discretionary funding applied for the Navajo extension and pending NCDOT plan review; one remaining parcel’s loan issue is delaying final reimbursement submission.
Town engineering staff briefed the council on progress for the Indian Trail Road Complete Street project, reporting that negotiations for all parcels are complete, condemnations have been filed where needed, and only one remaining parcel is holding up the submittal for state reimbursement due to a loan payoff issue.
Engineering said the town’s final right-of-way costs have grown to about $2.4 million from an earlier $1.5 million estimate after adding property acquisitions and associated legal fees. Staff noted a $1.5 million Union County water/sewer upgrade in downtown — mostly county-funded to move several old septic-style systems to new sewer — and a $500,000 town portion that is tied to water and sewer relocations and underground utility work on the Complete Street corridor.
Staff also said CSX required a geotechnical report tied to borings under the railroad; the report requires brief lane closures for drilling near the tracks. The 90% design plans were submitted to NCDOT but reviewers have asked for the full package including the geotechnical report and contract documents before issuing final approval and construction authorization.
The town applied for additional discretionary funding (about $1.65 million requested) to fund the Navajo extension 'four‑flag' work; staff said they expect a funding award decision in the coming month but cautioned availability may follow state accounting cycles. Staff stressed that until the last right-of-way parcel is cleared and the geotechnical report is complete, the town cannot request final NCDOT construction authorization.
Why it matters: the project is a major multimillion-dollar street and utility reconstruction that will shift traffic patterns, deliver sidewalks and underground utilities and link other corridor projects. Delays in right-of-way clearance, geotechnical studies and state reviews affect the project schedule and the timing of federal/state reimbursements.
