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Beaufort County commissioners back NCDOT 15th Street project amid city opposition
Summary
After public comment and extended discussion about safety, economic effects and local control, the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution supporting the NCDOT-funded 15th Street improvements in Washington; the vote followed conflicting testimony from business owners and city-affiliated speakers.
The Beaufort County Board of Commissioners voted to adopt a resolution supporting the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s 15th Street improvement project in the city of Washington after extended public comment and debate over safety, local control and economic impact.
Commissioner Ed Booth introduced the resolution and urged support, saying the project addresses a hazardous stretch with a history of crashes and fatalities. "We are trying to do the right thing," Booth told the board as he moved to pass the measure.
Business owners in favor of the project said safety and long-term economic benefits outweigh temporary construction impacts. "The NCDOT is paying for this improvement project 100% with an estimated cost of at least $38,600,000," said Charles Phillips, a property owner along 15th Street, who added the plan earmarks about $7,500,000 for replacing aging infrastructure and includes new pedestrian crossings and sidewalks.
Opponents — including Washington residents and some commissioners — argued the project had been repeatedly rejected by city residents and could disrupt commerce and emergency access during extended construction. "This project is widely supported by the bureaucracy and widely rejected by the people," said Nick Fritz, speaking as a citizen and mayor pro tem of Washington.
Commissioners weighed competing considerations: the possibility of losing state funding if the county did not act, the city council’s pending meeting with NCDOT, and recent crash-data cited by supporters. At the conclusion of debate the board took the resolution to a vote and the measure passed by raised hands.
What happens next: County staff will place supporting documents in the record as requested and the county’s resolution will be on file for DOT and local stakeholders to consider during the project’s implementation.
Note: The transcript records the public comments, staff presentations and the board’s voice vote; specific roll-call vote tallies by name were not recorded in the minutes read into the record.
