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Central Pines RPO outlines projects for NCDOT prioritization; county urged to finish land-use plan
Summary
Carol Fuller of the Central Pines RPO briefed the Moore County Board on Prioritization 8, the NCDOT/STIP project-solicitation cycle, listing several county projects and urging local input points. Commissioners pressed the county to complete its land-use plan to better influence regional scoring.
Carol Fuller, director of the Central Pines Rural Planning Organization, told the Moore County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 19 that the RPO is submitting local projects as part of the NCDOT Prioritization 8 process that will feed the next State Transportation Improvement Program.
The projects Fuller listed for Moore County included upgrading US 15-501 to a multilane facility, a three-lane modernization of an NC 211-to-NC 73 segment, a Carthage byway corridor effort, and a roundabout conversion at NC 22 and South McNeil Street. Fuller said projects submitted to the statewide tier are selected by data-driven scores with no local input, while regional and division tiers can receive local input points in spring to help advance projects.
"We're currently at the very beginning," Fuller said, describing a schedule that includes RPO submittals this fall, DOT scoring after September, and local input points submitted the following spring. She noted funding is limited and statewide funds often concentrate in major metro areas.
County commissioners pressed Fuller on timing and representation. Fuller said Moore County has two RPO representatives (Jim Adams as main rep and Tom Adams as alternate) and said she can accept a county-contingency change to one submitted project with concurrence from the RPO's four member counties.
The board’s discussion emphasized a related challenge: commissioners said the county’s unfinished land-use plan and zoning map updates make it harder to direct where projects should be prioritized. One commissioner urged the board to "buckle down" and complete the land-use plan before the end of the year so future project submissions reflect county policy.
Fuller recommended residents sign up on NCDOT’s engagement hub for project notices and offered to return or coordinate with county staff if commissioners want different public-meeting formats going forward. The RPO director also offered to follow up with Division 8 about questions such as tree removal along US 15-501.
The board did not take formal action on the presentation; commissioners asked staff to accelerate land-use plan work to align future transportation prioritization with county planning.
