Indian Trail considers joint pedestrian projects with Stallings; present‑day cost estimates and funding tradeoffs discussed

Engineering Director Todd Huninger laid out two proposed pedestrian projects to be pursued jointly with the neighboring town of Stallings: (1) Chestnut Lane sidewalk gap‑infill from Weddington‑Matthews Road to Potter Road with some boardwalk segments; and (2) Matthew Road/Chestnut Parkway connections with 8‑foot sidewalks in high‑use corridors. Huninger said preliminary present‑day estimates are approximately $1.5M for the Chestnut Lane project and about $1M for the Matthew Road work; combined and split 50/50, the town’s present‑day local share would be roughly $1.2M each if the towns choose to construct now rather than wait for federal discretionary match.

Huninger emphasized tradeoffs: pursuing CRTPO discretionary funds (fall call) could provide federal match but push construction into later years with higher future costs (estimates shown with inflation raise combined projects to roughly $2.6M in future‑year dollars). If the towns opt to fund construction locally now, residents could see sidewalks in a shorter timeframe and potentially save on escalation. Staff recommended continuing coordination with Stallings to refine designs, identify right‑of‑way needs (temporary easements estimated modestly in the preliminary work), and model funding scenarios with finance staff.

Council discussion focused on timing, possible use of fund balance versus grants, and whether the town should lead construction to accelerate delivery. Several council members said they favor advancing projects sooner if fund balance and budget modeling support the expense; staff noted that a 50/50 local split is a conservative assumption for CRTPO projects and federal matches can vary (lowest typical local match cited near 20%).

What happens next: staff will refine costs and right‑of‑way estimates, meet again with Stallings’ engineers, and return with design and funding recommendations for council consideration.