Martin County signs agreements with NCDOT and The Wooten Company for US‑17 utility relocations

Martin County Commissioners on Aug. 8 approved two related agreements to handle relocation of county water infrastructure for the N.C. Department of Transportation’s planned widening of U.S. 17.

County Manager David Bone said NCDOT will widen US‑17 from north of NC‑171 to south of Williamston under project R‑2511, with right-of-way acquisition in the current fiscal year and an anticipated completion date in 2023. Because county water lines run in the corridor, some infrastructure will require relocation.

The board approved an agreement with NCDOT that will reimburse Martin County for engineering services related to utility relocation. The NCDOT option allowed the department to use its contract engineers or to reimburse the county for work performed by the county’s chosen firm; Martin County selected The Wooten Company and the board approved a short-form engineering services agreement with Wooten. NCDOT reviewed and accepted The Wooten Company’s scope and cost estimate.

Commissioners approved both motions unanimously and authorized county staff to proceed with the reimbursable engineering work. The contracts specify the Wooten scope, estimated man-days, overhead and indirect rates to be approved by NCDOT before county reimbursements would occur.