North Green Streetscape project planned to start in the spring

Come early spring, Morganton residents and visitors will notice construction to make one main downtown street more pedestrian-friendly. Over on North Green Street, a streetscape project that has been in the works since 2022, will finally become reality.

The North Green Street Streetscape Project, which was originally planned to go out for bid a year ago, was largely postponed due to Hurricane Helene, which caused city staff to shift priority to recovery efforts.

The project will include upgrades to dated water and sewer lines, underground placement of cable and electric, installation of mast arm traffic lights, and crosswalk replacements along a two-and-a-half block stretch of the street from the East Union Street intersection to Fleming Place.

Bids for construction will go out on Dec. 11, according to Sharon Jablonski, director of cultural and creative development. She said she’s hoping the city will hear from a variety of different contractors, so staff can choose one that best fits their needs at an affordable rate. Last year City Manager Sally Sandy said she expects the project to cost around $4.1 million, but until the city receives bids, the total cost for construction remains uncertain.

Based on the bids that the city receives, Jablonski said the city may only be able to complete one block of the streetscape work instead of the two-and-a-half blocks.

The city has been awarded funding that will help with the cost of the project. Over the past two years, the city was awarded $2.1 million in grant funding, which includes $300,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission, $450,000 from the state’s Rural Transformation Grant, and $1.35 million from the Rural Downtown Economic Development Program.

According to Jablonski, city staff has until November 2026 to invoice for the funds with the project partially or fully completed. The city has contracted with McGill and Associates out of Hickory for engineering work.

Areas of North Green Street will likely have to shut down at various times during construction, according to Jablonski, but closures would not be permanent. “Our goal would be to keep at least one lane open, and to keep businesses open and accessible,” Jablonski said. “Thankfully, this is not our first streetscape. There’s always a lot of coordination, but well worth it in the end.”