County might take over upkeep of road
Otis Way in Harlem is on its way to officially becoming a Columbia County road.
A truck drives down Otis Way in Harlem. The road is not on Columbia County's road index, but the county is considering putting it on the list. Then, residents would no longer be responsible for upkeep.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
The unpaved road for many years has been a nuisance to the residents who live on it. Upkeep of the road is their responsibility and not the county's because it wasn't included on the county's road index.
Now, though, a re-evaluation of the county's index has determined that Otis Way should become a county road, meaning the road would be eligible for paving and would be maintained by the county.
"What we found out is Otis Way is about a mile long with 54 parcels. It's fairly unique in the county,'' said Kevin Lear, Columbia County's director of construction and maintenance.
He said other roads that aren't in the county index don't have the same population density that Otis Way does.
The proposal to have Otis Way added to the county road index was made at the county's most recent public works committee meeting. Members of the committee gave the proposal a preliminary approval.
Lear said that if Otis Way is brought into the county index, about $100,000 in improvements would be planned for the road.