The 15^th Street project proposed for Washington might not be dead.

City officials, during the City Council’s meeting Monday, said N.C. Department of Transportation officials have approached them about meeting with those officials to discuss the project. During its Dec. 12 meeting, the council unanimously rejected the 15^th Street project as proposed by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. That action left the door open for a revised 15^th Street project to be developed by DOT and considered by city officials.

Polk Culpepper, one of several city residents who voiced concerns with the 15^th Street project, wants city officials to keep residents and business owners informed about any developments regarding any meeting between DOT officials and city officials concerning revisiting a project for the section of 15^th Street between Carolina Avenue and U.S. Highway 264 near Vidant Beaufort Hospital. Culpepper said he wanted to follow up on the council’s vote to reject the DOT project.

City Manager Bobby Roberson said he met with a DOT official last week to talk about the council’s decision to reject the 15^th Street project as proposed by DOT. The DOT official, not named by Roberson, said the City Council needs to adopt a resolution rejecting the project and send it to the Regional Planning Organization that helps determine and prioritize transportation projects needed in the area.

Mayor Mac Hodges said it’s his understanding DOT officials want to discuss possible modifications to the project that could make it acceptable to those who opposed it. DOT officials still have concerns that 15^th Street continues to rank high when it comes to the number of vehicle crashes that occur on that section of the road. DOT spokesmen have said the project’s goal was to reduce the number of vehicles crashes on 15^th Street. Crashes on the western section of the project corridor occur about three times more frequently than crashes on similar roads in other areas of the state, according to DOT figures.

Any meeting between DOT officials and city officials would be open to the public. Culpepper asked if the public would be allowed to comment at the meeting. “I don’t know,” Hodges said. “You had your time. They want their time.” Hodges was referring to several meetings where those who opposed the project were allowed to express their views.

“The neighborhood is under the impression the project was over once the City Council decided in December that you would rather not have that done in the city.” Culpepper said. “So, we were surprised to hear about another meeting with DOT.”

Councilman Doug Mercer noted that his motion made last month was clear in its intent to advise DOT the city opposed the project’s configuration as presented by DOT last fall. “It left the door open for DOT to potentially change that configuration to a plan that was acceptable. The motion wasn’t to say the project is dead. The motion was to say that we don’t like the project the way it is. If you could redesign it, it might be acceptable,” Mercer said.