Fayetteville’s new pedestrian plan lays the groundwork to ditch its reputation as “America’s least walkable city.”
The plan outlines the design and implementation process for 144 proposed pedestrian improvement projects, including enhancements to greenways, sidewalks, trails, intersections, corridors and school and neighborhood connections. The projects would construct about 146 miles of sidewalk. With a combined price tag of about $770 million, the projects will take the city an estimated 15 to 20 years to complete.
The authors of the plan identified the 144 projects based on scoring criteria that incorporated vehicle crash history and pedestrian comfort levels, said Zach Bugg, an engineering consultant at Kittleson and Associates who led the planning process. Bugg presented the plan at the Fayetteville City Council work session on June 2.
“The objective of the plan is to expand the pedestrian network, develop projects, programs and policies to enhance safety for all users,” Bugg said.
The city’s Public Services Department collaborated with engineering consulting firms and the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Integrated Mobility Division, which grant-funded the plan. It also incorporated input from residents during two information sessions in August and December 2024, as well as 652 online survey results.
Of the 144 projects, 41 were assigned near-term completion goals (0–5 years), 57 medium-term (5–10 years) and 46 long-term (10+ years) based on priority levels. With regards to the projects:
- 81% are connected to areas with higher amounts of zero-car households.
- 78% are connected to an existing sidewalk.
- 73% are near “key destinations” such as Fort Bragg, downtown and Cross Creek Mall.
- 58% are on corridors or intersections where a pedestrian/bike crash took place within the last five years.
- 43% are near schools.
Once the council officially approves the plan, which they are expected to do at an upcoming meeting, staff can begin incorporating projects into future budgets and securing funding.
“We want a plan like this to not sit on a shelf and never get built out,” Bugg said.
The full pedestrian plan is available to download on the city’s website.
Government accountability reporter Evey Weisblat can be reached at eweisblat@cityviewnc.com or 216-527-3608.
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