Board accepts NCDOT funds for West Forsyth traffic project; agreement requires further board approvals

The Winston‑Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education voted 7–2 to accept funds and approve a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and the Village of Clemens for traffic improvements at West Forsyth High School.

Daryl Walker, executive director of facility planning and construction, outlined the proposed design—described as 'double stacking' vehicle lanes in the area near Louisville‑Clemens Road—and said the Village of Clemens and NCDOT collaborated on a schematic and traffic study. Walker reported that the Village and NCDOT proposed approximately a half‑million dollars in funding (presented in the meeting as a $500,000 contribution with an engineering estimate and roughly $443,000 cited for construction in the transcript). He said design work and construction plans must meet NCDOT standards, that NCDOT will vet engineering firms and contractors, and that any cost overruns would require a supplemental agreement from NCDOT (if available) and would return to the board for decision.

Board members asked questions about emergency‑vehicle access, liability for preliminary design costs and how bids and change orders would be handled. Walker stated that the funds for schematic design are being provided by NCDOT/the Village and that if the project were to stop for lack of additional funding, NCDOT-provided funds would not be charged back to the district; board members requested that that commitment be put in writing. The board was explicit that engineering contracts and any construction contracts that exceed procurement thresholds will return to the board for approval.