Board rejects NC 96 to bypass proposal

After a very short meeting and commissioner comments Tuesday evening, August 20, 2024, Mayor Vivian Jones asked the five board members to consider a proposal by an NC Department of Transportation employee which suggested routing the NC 96 truck traffic away from Youngsville’s downtown and sending it down Capital Boulevard and across the NC 98 Bypass.

She read the letter she had written to that DOT official, Brian Mayhew. “While I agree with Mayor Flowers that Youngsville’s traffic is a problem, to suggest that it be redirected through Wake Forest is ludicrous.

“Such a suggestion is bad enough. But having to learn about it through an online article (the Wake Forest Gazette) constitutes one of the most unprofessional actions I have ever experienced and is certainly not what I would expect from a supposed partner like NCDOT.

“I continue to be disappointed and dismayed by NCDOT’s continued posture towards Wake Forest. It’s not enough that you removed funding from Capital Boulevard. You’ve continuously delayed the Rogers Road Project, and now you want to funnel additional traffic onto our roads to solve the problem of a neighboring jurisdiction.

“Why were we not involved in the Youngsville discussion?” The letter went on to complain that DOT had “denied permit after permit . . . for projects proposed along Capital Boulevard thereby costing us tax base and jobs.”

After she finished, the mayor asked the five commissioners if they would agree to routing the truck traffic along the bypass and east to the Frazier’s store roundabout and NC 96.

The answer was a resounding “No” from four, but Commissioner Faith Cross said, although she was most likely to vote no, she wanted to know more about the truck volume, the impact on the bypass and she also wanted more background and discussion with DOT and Youngsville before she would vote.

Earlier, the commissioners agreed to the sale of $1.460 parks and recreation bonds and then heard from several people during the public comment section.

Two men again opposed the town allowing the October Pride Festival; Matt Reck questioned why the town was paying a high percentage rate, 5.6 percent, on the bond sale and later questioned what the Wake Forest Chamber has done for the town; a man said he and his group had not received answers about some planning questions; a woman said her HOA has not been allowed by the town to undertake beautification projects along a town street and on a roundabout; and a man showed a short patriotic video.

The only agenda item was the consent agenda comprised of items the commissioners had either examined or agreed to, including a small change in the fire limits; the design/build contract for Fire Station #6; approval of the Horse Creek watershed study; participation in the liquid assets class; and amendments to the advisory board ordinance.

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