Grifton’s Board of Commissioners approved a resolution recently adopting a Comprehensive Transportation Plan focusing on long-range road and sidewalk upgrades.
During the March 12 presentation, Pitt County Planning Director Jonas Hill said that the process was started by working in conjunction with the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the Greenville Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Mideast Rural Planning Organization to update the existing transportation plan for Pitt County.
Hill said the long-range plan looks 25 to 30 years into the future, with a highway component, a bike and pedestrian component, and public transportation and rail sections.
One focus in Grifton is trying to connect existing sidewalks.
“It starts at Queen Street, upgrading the sidewalks from Church Street to Marigold Drive heading out toward the TV tower out of town, installing the sidewalk, picking that up and going down to Marigold Drive,” said Hill.
“The next one is South Gordon Street from Queen Street to the John Lawson Nature Trail — making that connection so people can access the nature trail from downtown,” he said.
The plan also addresses the sidewalk on Queen Street from Highland Boulevard to Prince Street, Main Street and South Gordon Street; Wall Street from Queen Street to Saint David Street; Saint David to Church Street; and Church Street from Saint David to Fairway Drive, Hill added.
Hill said that planners have identified a multi-use pedestrian-bike path from downtown Grifton that will connect Grifton to Ayden. That path will then extend from Ayden to Winterville and expand until it reaches Greenville.
Planners also recommend upgrading N.C. 11 to a freeway.
“We have the Southwest Bypass that ties in just south of Ayden picking up there and running to the Lenoir County line, upgrading that to an interstate facility,” said Hill. “So that would involve some controlled access along that highway, much like the southwest bypass, to just increase the mobility of goods and services coming into the county.”
Mayor Billy Ray Jackson said that Highland Boulevard, also called old N.C. 11, needs resurfacing from where it comes off the N.C. 11 in Pitt County all the way out to N.C. 11 in Lenoir County.
The town’s efforts to address this project have gotten the run-around, Jackson said.
Town Manager Oryan Lowry said that Hill’s predecessor told him the project would be handled in 2025. Hill said that he and Lowry will connect later to figure out more details.
Those interested in seeing a draft of the Pitt County Comprehensive Transportation Plan can go to https://tinyurl.com/523vv2hk.
Other business
The owner of NC Waste and Recycling, Aaron Kornegay, gave a presentation on the services that the business offers, noting that he previously submitted a bid to the Town of Grifton that it would save the town 20-25% compared to what it spends with its current provider based out of Canada. He said he hopes officials will consider the proposal.
During public comments, the Jones family, 6941 Martin Luther King Dr., returned to follow up on the status of what the town is doing to rectify damage to their property and to replant their crepe myrtle. Mary Newton Moore, 6931 Pitt St., raised concerns about abandoned buildings on Main Street. And Joseph Scott, 6736 Charlotte St., suggested that the board adopt some type of ordinance regarding electric bikes and scooters.
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