Another leg of Corridor K discussed
Robbinsville – More Graham County employees will now benefit from premium pay, following a vote at the Graham County Board of Commissioners meeting Dec. 21.
The board voted unanimously in favor of $1,500 in premium pay for detention officers employed between Jan. 1, 2020 and Nov. 30, 2021, and other county employees employed between Jan. 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021.
The premium pay comes from revenue loss funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
The board also passed a similar premium pay measure for Graham County EMS workers earlier in 2021.
The premium pay will not include furloughed employees. Graham County Transit employees will receive premium pay, but it will be derived from the department’s remaining Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds.
The board had previously discussed the premium pay at a special meeting held earlier in December, with several county department heads asking the board to approve premium pay.
‘K’ moving forward
The board also approved the idea of improvements from Brady Curve to Ledbetter Road near Topton, following a presentation from N.C. Board of Transportation District 14 board member Dirk Cody, District 14 engineer Wanda Austin and N.C. Department of Transportation Western District Chief Engineer Brian Burch.
“We should have $44 million in (Appalachian Development Highway System) funding left,” Burch said.
“That’s our estimate. The infrastructure and investment jobs act that was passed this year a few weeks ago, that will give us an additional $83 million, so we should have in North Carolina, about $120 million for ADHS.”
He said the only two remaining sections of the ongoing Corridor K project left included the section from Robbinsville to Andrews, as well as a section running from Hayesville to N.C. Hwy. 175 in Clay County.
He said the department of transportation was working with the federal government to get more miles added to the Corridor K project to make the connection.
“I think the stars have aligned to be in our favor,” Burch said.
He said that U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va, was supportive of the project, and that his wife Gayle Manchin was now the Federal Co-Chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission.
“He’s certainly interested in adding mileage to the ADHS and adding corridors to the ADHS,” Burch said. “He’s been asking states, do we need to do more for the Appalachian region.”
Burch noted that in the meantime, there were 6 ½ miles that could be improved between Robbinsville and Andrews and suggested the Bradley-Curve stretch of Ledbetter Road.
“That has the most difficult terrain and the most challenging horizontal alignment if you drive it,” Burch said. “That’s a nice way of saying that it’s probably the least safe portion of the road between here and there. That’s a a corridor that we would like to go ahead and allocate that 6 ½ miles to so we can start planning and get the process started.
“The $44 million will be there. The $88.3 million will be there, so just as quick as we can get it planned, designed, the right-of-way acquired and construction, we should be good to go.”
Austin also gave an update on the planned wildlife crossing on the Appalachian Trail at Stecoah Gap, saying that the project was waiting on approval from the National Forest Service.
“The roadway plan is pretty much done expect for changes that we’ll make in right-of-way,” Austin said.