County will scale back nearly $1M Indian Land road serving 17 homes near NC border
Lancaster County will scale back a nearly $1 million road project that will benefit a less than two dozen homes on a dead-end Indian Land street.
County council voted unanimously on Monday to focus on two alternative construction options for bids that would reduce costs for Rise Lane, the road serving 17 homes near the North Carolina border. Residents were promised a wider road since before many of them built their houses, but the project’s high costs and relative complexity delayed things.
Rise Lane received approval in 2021 for an estimated $146,000 road widening before returning to council with an update in March. The project expanded to include fire hydrant installation and water line relocation, bringing the new price tag to an estimated $900,000.
A split council voted 5-2 in support of moving the project forward last month. The majority said the county had already made a promise to Rise Lane residents and had the money to fulfill it. Lancaster County previously earmarked $9 million in local sales tax revenue to pay for capital projects, including 21 road improvements. Rise Lane is one of two unfinished projects remaining in that fund.
Council members Stuart Graham and Jose Luis, who represents the district that includes Rise Lane, dissented and said they wanted to explore more options before dumping so much money into a dead-end road. They got their wish this week, to the confusion of councilwoman Charlene McGriff, who said she thought the matter had already been settled with their previous vote.
Staff presented the council with several options on Monday.
One would widen the road to 18 feet of pavement and relocate the water line for an estimated cost of $580,500, according to Jeff Catoe, the public services division director. The road is currently 12 to 13 feet wide and too narrow for two cars to pass each other.
A second option would only resurface and widen the road by 2 feet for an estimated $250,500. Catoe called this “a lesser option” because the county would pave over the water line without moving it. Though cheaper upfront, McGriff and chairperson Brian Carnes said this could be trouble later if the water line breaks because the county would have to use unbudgeted money to dig up the road and fix it.
Council voted to start looking into the contract bidding process for those options.
“It’s better than where we were. I’m happy in the direction that we’re going, that it’s saving some costs,” Luis said.
Council chose not to move forward with the priciest option that would have upgraded the waterline to allow for fire hydrants. Rise Lane residents asked the county to look into this option, Catoe said. It could have exceeded $1 million.
A fourth option would have canceled construction until a new funding source became available.
