By Emily Ford
eford@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — The city wants input from residents and businesses before the state paves a section of Statesville Boulevard.
The N.C. Department of Transportation has agreed to participate in a public workshop prior to paving the boulevard from the Ketner Center at West Innes Street to the Salisbury Mall at Jake Alexander Boulevard.
The city requested the workshop because of so many complaints about the four-lane stretch of road, Dan Mikkelson, city engineer, told City Council on Tuesday.
The workshop will be held at 7 p.m. Aug. 30 at Milford Hills United Methodist Church, 1630 Statesville Boulevard. Anyone who lives in neighborhoods along the Statesville Boulevard corridor, works in the area or travels the road regularly is asked to participate.
Mikkelson said he hopes the workshop will identify motorists’ concerns and help come up with ideas about how to resolve problems inexpensively during the resurfacing project.
For example, the most prevalent type of accident along that stretch is rear-end collisions involving vehicles stopped to turn left, Mikkelson said. The most common neighborhood complaints are speed of traffic and problems turning out of neighborhood streets, he said.
The state could help resolve these concerns by modifying lane markings, “and the best time to modify land markings is when a road is resurfaced,” Mikkelson said.
Anyone who can’t attend the public workshop is invited to contact Mikkelson at dmikk@salisburypost.com or 704-638-5206.
Mikkelson will report back to City Council on Sept. 4, with paving scheduled to begin soon after.
“We’ve got an opportunity here,” Councilman Brian Miller said.
Contact reporter Emily Ford at 704-797-4264.