As far as Washington’s City Council is concerned, there’s no question that part of 15th Street needs widening.

There is a question about the cost to the city when it comes to helping pay for that widening. That’s why the council wants more information, especially cost data, before signing off on an agreement between the city and the N.C. Department of Transportation to add a center turn lane to a section of 15th Street.

The proposed project calls for the turn lane to run from 400 feet west of Washington Street to about 400 feet east of Pierce Street. That area of 15th Street is near the former Kmart site. Traffic congestion in that area likely would worsen if a proposed residential development near that area is built, city officials said.

The proposed agreement calls for the city to pay for costs of relocating utilities that exceed $150,000 and be responsible for rights-of-way costs that exceed $135,000.

While city staff is optimistic the $150,000 would cover costs to relocate utilities to allow for the turn lane, it’s less confident about the cost to obtain rights of way not exceeding $135,000.

“While staff is fairly confident that the $150,000 for utility relocation costs should be sufficient, right of way (R/W) acquisition could be (a) different story,” reads a memorandum from Allen Lewis, the city’s public-works director, to the mayor and council. “Staff has taken the area to be taken in R/W provided by NDCOT and used the current property tax value of the land only for each of the (affected) property owners to try to get an idea for how much the R/W acquisition may cost. As you can tell from the attached spreadsheet, this figure totals almost $105,000.”

Lewis wrote that NCDOT officials believe that estimate is “way low” in that it does not take into account the following:

ź Damages to the residual property;

ź Possible court verdicts if condemnation is required;

ź Costs of appraisals;

ź Title opinions;

ź Overhead for negotiations.

DOT officials also note that while the current tax values are based on a recent revaluation, they may not reflect fair-market values. DOT officials estimate the right-of-way costs to the city could run from $150,000 to $170,000, the memo reads.

Councilmen Doug Mercer and Bobby Roberson want more information on the project, including a more-detailed cost estimate. They are balking at approving the agreement until the city has a more concrete cost estimate on obtaining rights of way.

“At least give me an idea about the kind of money we’re talking about,” Mercer said at the council’s meeting Monday.

The council also wants to know if an offer by property owners (those who would be affected by building the turn lane) to provide rights of way at no cost to DOT or the city remains on the table. Mercer said it’s his understanding that at least some of those property owners had expressed a willingness to donate the property that DOT needs for rights of way.