By Tiffany Thompson, Staff Writer
Thursday, September 4, 2008 — The town of Oakboro Board of Commissioners adopted a community vision for the town’s transportation routes during the meeting Monday night.
The community vision will become part of the Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) between Oakboro and Red Cross and was needed before the plan could continue.
Larry Branch, town administrator, said he requested the council to provide him with suggestions for the community vision. Though none were received, Branch created the vision based on suggestions he had, which was submitted to the council.
The main objective of the vision for the town of Oakboro is to enhance all facets of the town’s transportation network while staying true to its small town character and heart.
The town laid out three goals and objectives for the vision, which enable the town to develop a transportation network that promotes economic development as well as a sustainable environment and pedestrian friendly atmosphere.
The first goal is to provide infrastructure to make walking and bicycling more viable, which could include providing a sidewalk system to the downtown area, shopping centers and medical facilities.
Providing trails, a greenway system and sidewalks to connect to Oakboro District Park is another goal.
The third goal is to provide safe roadway and sidewalk crossing placement within the town.
Several suggestions were made in regards to how these goals would be met, which include:
• Redirecting truck traffic from Second Street and relocating the traffic light from the intersection of Second and Main streets to the intersection of N.C. 138, N.C. 742, Railroad Street, Main Street and First Street.
• Improve the intersection of Big Lick Road and N.C. 205 by installing a full movement traffic light or construct a roundabout for safety and to reduce the likelihood of accidents occurring at this intersection; and
• Construct a turn lane at the District Park to reduce congestion.
“We believe the likelihood of installing a roundabout at Big Lick Road is very minimal at this time,” Branch said.
Also stated in the community vision is that the town would like to improve the connectivity from the industrial park to N.C. 24-27 as well as from the industrial park to Swift Road to provide connectivity to N.C. 205.
Other hopes for the CTP is to develop a light rail excursion from Mint Hill to Oakboro in order to alleviate traffic congestion from Charlotte to western Stanly County. This would help to provide economic growth and attract tourism, which could possibly include a dinner excursion train that could be located at the Railroad Museum depot.
Investigating opportunities for a trolley to transport employees from the industrial park to Town Center during lunch is also an item the community vision addresses. This trolley could also be utilized for special events.
Another hope for the CTP is to provide a walking and bicycling trail along N.C. 205 from Oakboro to Red Cross.
Also during the meeting, the council voted to reaffirm that the land use plan is still valid for the town’s needs. This was also a requirement before the CTP could continue.
Contact Tiffany Thompson at (704) 982-2121 ext. 24 or snaponline24@carolina.rr.com.
