Home Local News 4 Richmond County roads get names

4 Richmond County roads get names

Photo of a map showing the location of the proposed Guardian Way, north of Rockingham.

ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday gave approval for the renaming of four roads along the U.S. 220-Interstate 73/74 corridor.

County Zoning and Planning Coordinator Tracy Parrish and Deputy Emergency Services Director Bob Smith presented the list to commissioners during a public hearing.

Parrish said about 190 residents from the area were invited — although only about 17 showed — to a town hall meeting in March to give suggestions on the names for the service roads.

“We did our best to take their suggestions,” she said, adding that three of the four were used.

She added that there were some issues with the suggestions because several roads already were similarly named.

“It’s very important to make sure that our 911 and emergency services get to the right house at the right time,” she said. “That’s why some of the names were not chosen.”

Parrish then gave a Powerpoint presentation of the roads and their locations.

The first, to be named Guardian Way, is a section that runs parallel to U.S. 220 between Billy Covington and Haywood Cemetery roads.

“There are about three homes that still use the 220 address as a mailing address, most everybody has changed to a different address,” she said. “I think they did that when the construction came through.”

Parrish added that some residents wanted it named after Samaritan Colony, but planners felt “for safety reasons” that it needed to be changed to something different than the actual Samaritan Drive, where the treatment center is located.

“We didn’t want 911 services going to the actual business versus a person” she added. “We had some discussion with those neighbors and they seemed to like Guardian Way.”

The second is a new road located off of Harrington Road, which will now be Harmony Robinson Road — named after a family and a church on that road.

The third runs parallel to the highway between the north and south ends of Haywood Cemetery Road. The overwhelming suggestion: Berry Patch Road.

The suggestion for the final road, which also runs parallel with the highway, between Dockery Road and Sandy Ridge Church Drive, was Old Woods Road.

Advertisements

“Up in the northern end of that section it is Old Woods Road … it just kind of dead-ended at one time and now it’s at the point where it can actually flow all the way from there to Dockery Road,” Parrish said, adding that 12 of the 17 assembled residents agreed to that name.

The approval was given following the public hearing, with no opposition.

County Manager Bryan Land said scheduling for the next two phases of the interstate bypass are “still progressing,” with a let date of October of this year.

“This should be the last large-scale road project Richmond County should see for the foreseeable future,” he said.

The project’s price tag: more than $120 million.

Land said he and Public Works Director Jerry Austin are meeting monthly with officials from the N.C. Department of Transportation “to discuss the next steps in this process prior to bidding.”

Last month, NCDOT announced it has contracted Barnhill Contracting Co. out of Rocky Mount to mill and resurface two sections — in Richmond and Montgomery counties — totaling 8.6 miles of the interstate.

Per the DOT:

“Work on the $5.6 million project may begin as early as July 1 and is scheduled to be complete by April 30, 2020. Alternating lane closures will be required.

The Montgomery County section, about 5 miles long, lies between N.C. 24-27 near Biscoe and N.C. 211 near Candor. The Richmond County section spans about 3 miles between Fire Tower Road and U.S. 220 near Ellerbe.

The current pavement in these locations has deteriorated to the point that spot repairs are no longer a cost-effective solution for keeping it up to traffic standards.”

 

 



Previous articleRichmond County Enviva plant opening soon; VBC hiring
Next articleHoward, Goodwin strand 13 runners as JV Rattlers slide past Pinecrest
Managing Editor William R. Toler is an award-winning writer and photographer with experience in print, television and online media.