A request by a county resident brought about a modification to Beaufort County’s comprehensive transportation plan.

The modification was made during the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners meeting Monday. After a public hearing on the plan, the board unanimously voted to move the proposed route for the proposed northern bypass of Washington to either north of Cherry Road or south of Corsica Road. The change was made in an effort to keep the bypass from going through the subdivision where Harry Tubaugh lives.

Tubaugh, during a public hearing on the transportation plan, asked the proposed route be modified so it would not affect the subdivision. The proposed route, as initially mapped, “comes right through the existing subdivision” and likely would harm future development of the subdivision, Tubaugh said.

The proposed bypass would run from about a mile east of Leggett Road on U.S. Highway 264 west of Washington to Asbury Church Road east of Washington. The bypass would be a four-lane freeway. Interchanges are recommended at the bypass’s eastern and western termini, Market Street Extension and U.S. Highway 17.

“Improvements are needed to accommodate projected traffic volumes and to improve mobility through Washington such that a minimum Level of Service (LOS) D can be achieved,” reads a document concerning the plan.

The proposed bypass is included in Washington’s thoroughfare plan.

Bryant Buck, a planner with the Mid-East Commission that developed the plan for the county, said the proposed bypass route “is not set in stone” and could be modified. Buck said it would be several years before work on the bypass, if it were funded by the N.C. Department of Transportation, would begin.

The transportation plan also includes a proposed bridge that would cross the Pamlico River from the Bayview ferry terminal to the Aurora ferry terminal. The proposal calls for building a two-lane bridge with bicycle accommodations. The bridge would replace the existing ferry route.

“The proposed project would enhance the system linkage by providing a more efficient route and improving connectivity and mobility for commuters and residents from the northern to southern potions of eastern Beaufort County,” reads the document.