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Beaufort County commissioners back NCDOT 15th Street safety project despite city opposition
Summary
After hours of public comment and debate, the Board of Commissioners approved a resolution supporting NCDOT Project U-5860 — a state-funded reconstruction of 15th Street intended to reduce crashes — and urged the City of Washington to continue local dialogue but not block state-funded safety funding.
The Beaufort County Board of Commissioners voted March 2 to support North Carolina Department of Transportation Project U-5860, a state-funded safety and corridor-improvement plan for 15th Street in Washington. The resolution says the project — which the county estimates at roughly $38.6 million in the STIP — would convert the corridor into a four-lane divided facility with medians, turn lanes and enhanced pedestrian crossings and would pay for substantial utility and drainage upgrades at no direct cost to the city or county.
Commissioner Ed Booth, who introduced the resolution, cited crash data and the toll on residents: “The crash data from 2020 to 2024 shows there were 417 total crashes. Three were fatal. Eleven crashes caused disabling injuries. Without significant improvement to the entire corridor, these crashes will continue and most likely get worse.” Supporters, including Vice-Chairman Jerry Langley and Commissioner Randy Walker, emphasized safety and the economic-development potential of improved traffic flow along a corridor that connects to hospital and industrial property.
Opponents in the public comment period — including some Washington residents and a city official speaking as a citizen — argued the City should be permitted to manage its own design choices. Mayor Pro Tem Nick Fritz, speaking as a citizen, said many residents opposed the current DOT plan and warned of multi-year construction impacts on businesses and emergency access. Commissioner Stan Deatherage urged patience and suggested the board wait for the city’s DOT meeting later in the month for more input. Chair Frankie Waters said Beaufort County represents all residents and that timing is important to preserve the funding; commissioners said rescinding support would likely return the division-level grant to the state prioritization pool and risk losing the funding for many years.
The resolution directs county support for NCDOT to proceed with U-5860 and requests local coordination; commissioners said the city can continue dialogue and request design refinements from NCDOT, but they would not withdraw county backing for the safety-funded project. The board recorded the motion and passed the resolution during the March 2 meeting.
