Greene County board shifts local SIB loan to federal earmark to begin I‑675/Wilmington Pike interchange work

Greene County commissioners on Dec. 19 approved a management and financing agreement for the I‑675/Wilmington Pike interchange that moves previously planned State Infrastructure Bank (SIB) loan proceeds to a federal earmark secured by Congressman Turner, allowing the first phase of the project to move forward.

County staff told commissioners the agreement substitutes the earmark for SIB loan funds previously identified as the local match and emphasized that the county is not committing additional dollars under the current agreement. A staff member said changes were made after multiple work sessions and that the agreement leaves room for future amendments should the county pursue additional phases.

The board voted to authorize the county engineer to execute the agreement after a motion and second. Commissioners reiterated that the purpose of the shift is to align available match funding and begin initial construction work while preserving flexibility for later decisions.

The board’s action follows earlier work sessions in which county staff and outside attendees, including Miss Goff, reviewed project edits. The board heard that an earmark from Congressman Turner facilitated the change in funding source.

Next steps spelled out by staff include administrative execution of the management and financing agreement and potential future amendments if the project advances beyond the first phase. The board did not vote on additional appropriations at the meeting.