Ozone bike lane, Seminary sidewalk, Main Street sidewalk included

SALUDA — Saluda is submitting three bike and pedestrian projects to the state to be placed on the North Carolina State Transportation Improvement Plan.

The Saluda Board of Commissioners met Monday and approved placing three projects on the plan.

The projects include a bike and pedestrian walkway on Ozone Drive, a sidewalk on Seminary Street to Ozone Drive and a sidewalk on Main Street.

City Manager Jonathan Cannon said he serves on the North Carolina Department of Transportation Technical Committee for the Isothermal Planning and Development Commission. Commissioner Paul Marion is on the technical advisory committee.

Saluda can submit three projects for the next STIP process. Cannon said the projects have to be on some kind of plan, and all three recommended proejcts are currently on Saluda’s bike and pedestrian plan.

Commissioner Stan Walker asked how much the projects would cost the city.

Cannon said the city’s portion is 20 percent of the total cost.

“The Main Street project was $370,000, so our portion would be about $70,000,” Cannon said.

The Seminary Street sidewalk would be an extension from the school to Ozone Drive.

Saluda Mayor Fred Baisden asked if the projects have to be on state property. Cannon said the projects do have to be along state property.

“I see no reason not to use these three [suggested],” Baisden said.

Cannon said the city can back out of the projects if they are selected. He said before the state funds the projects, the city board of commissioners has to approve the project and agree to fund it.

“You have to adopt it and accept it for them to actually do it,” Cannon said.

Cannon also said once the project goes into engineering, NCDOT will give it an actual dollar amount and then will ask for the city’s 20 percent commitment.

“I just want to make sure we don’t commit to something we can’t afford,” Walker said.

Commissioners approved submitting the three projects to the STIP plan to move forward.