Planners with the Sandhills Metropolitan Planning Organization (SMPO) met this week to continue charting the course for future infrastructure. Conversations focused on growth projections, funding priorities, and long-term mobility improvements.
Position Appointments:
The Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC) approved its agenda and re-elected its chair and vice chair, Reagan Parsons and Paul Sabiston, respectively.
Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) 2055:
Work is underway on the next 30-year transportation blueprint. The plan will address population and employment growth, tourism impacts, and the need for improved pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. Planners stressed the importance of using clear visuals and maps to make the plan accessible to the public.
“Population and employment projections are a key input in a Metropolitan Transportation Plan,” explains Scott Walston, SMPO director. “They help anticipate future travel demand and guide the design of transportation systems that will serve the MPO effectively over the next 20–30 years.”
Members agreed to focus on a 1.75% annual population growth rate through 2055, slightly higher than trend-based estimates, to account for development and tourism pressures. Employment projections will be adjusted accordingly. This will serve to guide the decisions made by the board moving forward.
Project Scoring and Funding:
With NCDOT’s new scoring method for travel time savings, the SMPO will finalize its local points methodology by May. These points will help determine which projects receive funding under the Strategic Transportation Investments process. Scoring results are expected in June.
Some of the projects that have been under consideration:
Active or Completed Projects:
N.C. 211 – Widen to Multilanes (SR 1241 to N.C. 73, West End)
$42,688,044
U.S. 15-501 & US 1 / NC 5 – Access Management Improvements
$18,389,860
SR 1848 (W. Pennsylvania Ave) – Bridge Rehabilitation (Bridge No. 44)
$1,776,085
Upcoming Projects:
N.C. 211 – Widen to Multilanes (US 15/US 501 in Aberdeen to NC 73)
$114,200,000
U.S. 15-501 & N.C. 211 (Southern Pines) – Convert to Interchange at SR 1205/1309 (Morganton Rd)
$44,200,000
N.C. 5 (Beulah Hill Rd) – Modernization (Trotter Dr to N.C. 211, Pinehurst)
$53,492,000
U.S. 15-501 – Widen to Multi-Lanes (Pinehurst Traffic Circle to N.C. 73 / Raeford-McCaskill Rd)
$53,300,000
U.S. 1 (Sandhills Blvd) – Improve from SR 1112 (Roseland Rd) to Knight St, Aberdeen
$20,600,000
U.S. 15-501 (Pinehurst Traffic Circle) – Improvements from Voit Gilmore Ln to Page Rd
$77,870,000
N.C. 5 at SR 1205 (Morganton Rd) – Realign Intersection and Add Turn Lanes
$4,300,000
What’s Next?
Workshops for the MTP are scheduled for the coming months, and the SMPO will begin assigning local input points this summer. Before parting ways, the board stressed the importance of aligning infrastructure investments with projected growth to keep pace with regional needs.
Abegail Murphy | Assistant Editor
Article and photo by Sandhills Sentinel Assistant Editor Abegail Murphy. Abegail has been writing for Sandhills Sentinel since 2021.
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