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Johnston County approves MOA with NCDOT to accept sidepaths on two road projects; county to assume routine maintenance
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Summary
The board approved a memorandum of agreement with NCDOT for sidepath construction on Cleveland Road and NC 210; DOT will build the sidepaths at no construction cost but the county agreed to routine maintenance responsibilities and staff referenced estimated recurring upkeep costs from the county Trails and Greenways master plan.
Johnston County commissioners on April 20 approved a memorandum of agreement with the North Carolina Department of Transportation for two Complete Streets projects that will add paved sidepaths along Cleveland Road and NC 210.
Parks, Greenway and Open Space Director Adrian O’Neil said DOT will construct roughly three miles of sidepaths at no cost to the county, but the county must commit to routine upkeep — mowing, trash pickup and limb removal — for the sidepaths. O’Neil said the county’s Trails and Greenways master plan contains recurring-maintenance estimates; staff told commissioners that a volunteer-supported low-end estimate appears modest but that a reasonable recurring maintenance range is expected and cited figures in the plan for planning purposes.
Commissioners asked for examples of sidepaths and noted DOT volunteer programs and local friends groups that perform maintenance; staff said the Mountains-to-Sea Trail segments and local volunteer groups might support upkeep. The board voted to approve the MOA by voice vote.
Quote: "They don't need it tonight, but they will need it when they start planning that roadway and getting it in place, because they wanna know upfront if we'll support it," Adrian O'Neil said of NCDOT's request to commit to maintenance.
Next steps: staff will finalize the MOA language with DOT and bring routine-maintenance expectations into the county's operations planning and budget materials.
