Town staff reports big change: DOT to pick up multi-use path cost; council to cover pole/feature betterments
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Summary
Staff outlined negotiated reductions in town betterment costs for the Old Monroe complete-streets project after discussions with NCDOT: DOT will cover the 10-foot multi-use path, lowering the town's sidewalk share to an estimated $55,000, but the town is still being asked to fund metal powder-coated signal poles and cosmetic features estimated in the low hundreds of thousands.
Town staff gave a detailed update on the Old Monroe/Indian Trail Road complete-streets project, describing negotiations with the North Carolina Department of Transportation that materially changed the town’s cost exposure for pedestrian infrastructure. The presentation covered two phases of the corridor project (BA and BB), proposed betterments and their previous estimates, and staff’s push to secure a more favorable funding split.
Staff said that earlier estimates assigned the town substantial betterment costs for a 10-foot multi-use path and for decorative, black powder-coated signal poles along the corridor. After further discussions with DOT, staff reported the DOT agreed that the 10-foot multi-use path belongs in the corridor design and would be paid by DOT; as a result, the town’s sidewalk share fell dramatically (staff reported a combined town sidewalk exposure of roughly $55,000 across BA and BB, down from prior estimates). The remaining town-requested betterments are primarily for metal signal poles and powder-coating to match existing corridor aesthetics; staff estimated pole/feature costs in the several-hundred-thousand-dollar range and noted that the town had added some additional metal poles since the 2024 estimate.
Councilmembers asked for clarifications on whether the reduced sidewalk cost still delivers 10-foot sidewalks on both sides (staff clarified the town’s contribution covers the 10-foot multi-use path on one side and a 5-foot sidewalk on the other), asked whether DOT could phase metal poles later, and praised staff’s negotiations that reduced the town’s overall outlay. Staff said final numbers for each phase will return to council for formal approval and that staff would present an agreement for BA when it is ready to bid over the summer.
What’s next: staff will return with a more detailed phase-by-phase agreement and final cost breakdowns for council approval; the presentation signaled substantial savings to the town but left the town responsible for optional aesthetic betterments.