No work of any kind aimed at widening U.S. 64 to four lanes between Columbia and Manns Harbor is listed in the State Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP) supplement that the state transportation board is to vote on in August, Angela Welsh, director of the Albemarle Rural Planning Organization, reported June 30.

And the STIP is not for 2017-18 alone, but for activities planned to occur over the next 10 years.

The STIP lists one project for Columbia: construct a new sidewalk on the north side of Main Street from Broad Street to Road Street. However, no money is requested for the next decade for feasibility study, planning/design, right of way, or construction.

The STIP is the product of input from state highway engineers, regional planning organizations made up of local politicians and others, and the data-driven Strategic Transportation Initiative formula enacted by the General Assembly.

The Albemarle Rural Planning Organization, based in Hertford, provides a forum for state and local officials to discuss and address issues requiring regional solutions.

“We are funded by the state with an additional required 20% local match,” Welsh explained, “and provide these core services: coordinate, assist and develop local and regional plans, provide a forum for public participation in the transportation planning and implementation process, develop and prioritize projects the organization believes should be included in the state transportation improvement program and provide transportation-related information