The condition of Main Street was a topic of conversation during the Street Department’s report at the August Franklin Town Council meeting.
Mayor Jack Horton said someone had recently asked him when the town was going to pave Main Street. “A lot of people don’t realize that is a state highway that runs right straight through the middle of town,” he said.
In looking at the Department of Transportation’s schedule for paving in Macon County, the mayor said unfortunately it’s going to be a few more years before the street is paved. It is on the state’s project list for 2028.
Council member Mike Lewis said the town has spent a lot of money on making other improvements in town and repairing sidewalks and he was tired of waiting on DOT to get the work done on Main Street.
“The condition of that street is an absolute disgrace,” Lewis said.
Horton said they need to work on the state to move the project along.
Vice Mayor Stacy Guffey agreed with Lewis about the condition of the street and in the days following the meeting said he had been in touch with the DOT.
“We’re working with the people at the state to see if there is a lever we can pull to move it up on their schedule,” he said.
If moving it up on the schedule is not possible, Guffey offered two alternative options: 1) that the town pave that section and the state come up with the money for it; or 2) that the town take over the maintenance of the portion of Main Street from the bottom of Town Hill to the intersection at Lazy Hiker.
Guffey said he has not received a response as of Tuesday and the initial reaction to his second option was not favorable.
When contacted about the paving schedule, the state Department of Transportation said there was a short segment (about 300 feet) of Porter Street between West Main and West Palmer Streets that was initially scheduled for resurfacing in 2025.
“This smaller section will be combined with U.S. 441 Business, currently planned for resurfacing in 2028,” said NCDOT Communications Officer Jen Goodwin. “Town officials are welcome to contact the NCDOT District Office in Andrews if there are additional questions or concerns.”
Goodwin said the local division office does not have any records showing the resurfacing of West Main Street had been previously scheduled.