Several property owners along U.S. 258 North want to slow the state Department of Transportation’s roll when it comes to building a new road.
Dr. Randy Jones, owner of Livestock Veterinary Services, spoke at the Monday meeting of the Lenoir County Board of Commissioners about his and others’ concerns about extending Smithfield Way from Hill Farm Road to U.S. 258. The construction is supposed to help expedite tractor trailers’ path to the highway.
“Our concern is not that you’re building a road, our concern is the location of the road,” Jones said. “And that it’s going through a poorly-drained area, and during really heavy periods of rain, floods. I know my office I’ve owned since 2001, we’ve had water in the building three times and in the parking lot numerous times.”
One Smithfield Way extension option puts the road through the property Jones owns with his wife, and the bordering plot owned by Walter and Sylvia Poole. The other two options go into plots owned by the Pooles and Heidi Weeks, according to a county document detailing the possibilities.
“This is a different road project than the normal, standard road project,” Commissioner J. Mac Daughety said. “We were able to expedite the funding on this, so it’s running its course. But, and just so you know, we had discussions with DOT the last 30 days, since we secured the funding, about the impact on the area, from the standpoint of the road. And, they too are concerned.”
Daughety, who is also the chairman of the Lenoir County Transportation Committee, explained the NCDOT has an extensive file of drainage issues in the surrounding area, and is aware of the problem. Jones said he believes a raised road bed, over and along the ditch and extending to his property, would act like a dam and exacerbate the problem. He advocated the more southerly route, which would create an intersection with Smithfield Way, U.S. 258 and A Street.
Daughety said he’s been told whatever the outcome, it should be OK.
“I was assured by DOT the road, as they build it, will not worsen the flooding there, and it potentially could improve it,” Daughety said.
Jones said property owners are wary of the impact of any action.
“Every one of them will tell you their flooding started with the widening of (U.S.) 258,” Jones said. “They don’t have a lot of confidence in DOT, to be honest with you.”
Hydrologists from the NCDOT are in Kinston today to study the area between Hill Farm Road and U.S. 258, to see what current and potential problems with runoff exist.
Daughety said when the report from the hydrologists comes in, there will be a scheduled informational meeting between representatives of NCDOT and affected property owners.
Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 or wes.wolfe@kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.
Breakout Box
- Items passed at Monday’s Lenoir County Board of Commissioners meeting:
- Sale of three fleet vehicles at auction
- $3,480 to Baker Fence for pass-through anteroom in new jail evidence room
- $19,386 to repair new jail electrical transfer switch to generator, insurance money from the contractor paying for incident in which first switch shorted because of an improperly caulked window
- New FEMA flood plain maps, effective April 16