As work continues on the expansion of Fort Howard Road, the sidewalks along the street likely will be a little farther off the path.

Rincon City Council members want the contractor, Seaboard Construction, to put the sidewalks at least six feet off the road and as far as eight feet, if possible. Council members held off on setting a permanent speed limit of 35 miles per hour for Fort Howard Road.

“If it didn’t cost extra time or money, it would be great to push it over another two feet,” interim city manager Wesley Corbitt said of the sidewalk.

Council member Levi Scott urged making the sidewalks eight feet off the road if possible and at least six feet from the edge of the road.

The project, at a contract price of $2.66 million, will add a third lane to the 2.2-mile stretch of Fort Howard Road from the city limits to Highway 21.

The plans for the Fort Howard Road project call for a sidewalk on the south side of the street, with drainage improvements to the north side. Originally, the city looked at four options and the one that drew the most favorable response was a four-lane road, with a median between the lanes for a boulevard-type effect, city engineer Tim Baumgartner said.

But that design would have cost nearly twice as much as the current road plans, he said, and the city avoided the expense of relocating utility lines.

“We designed it around being a three-lane road without having to move those power lines and gas lines,” Baumgartner said.

Council member Frank Owens pondered how much it would cost to remove the sidewalks once the city decided to put in a fourth lane.

“I’d rather spend twice as much now than five, 10 years down the road spend four times as much,” he said.

Council member Scott Morgan also asked if the sidewalks were far enough from the right-of-way.

“If we spend a lot of money on sidewalks that should never have to be removed, the possibility exists that they will have to be dug up and replaced,” he said. “I wish we could avoid that.

“I just look at the cost,” he said. “We built the sidewalk too close. When the day comes where we have to move utilities, then we’re going to have to pile on top of that $200,000 to rebuild sidewalks. That’s been my whole issue.”

The speed limit on Fort Howard Road also has been an issue with Morgan, who has pushed to make 35 mph the top speed on that road.

“What better time to change the speed limit than while it’s under construction,” he said. “Everybody is currently (is supposed to be) going 35. I drive that road every day. Everybody who drives that road is going more than 35. They’re going more than 45.”

Council member Paul Wendelken said he’s driven that road at 35 mph and it hasn’t been conducive to traffic flow.

“I’m a little hesitant about the speed limit change. I’m 100 percent for safety,” he said. “A number of us drive Fort Howard Road back and forth. I’m probably the one who stays on it the longest and I can tell you, 35 miles an hour is putting along. They are lined up behind you.

“We have a trial basis at 35 and I’m telling you, they are not doing 35,” Wendelken added. “If I’m doing 35, they are lined up behind me.”

Wendelken said adding the sidewalk and the turning lane makes the road safer.

“I think we need to give it a chance to see how it plays out,” he said.

Wendelken said if the city needs to more strictly enforce the speed limits on Fort Howard Road, that can be done. He alluded to the calls the city gets about speeding on Weisenbaker Road and once the police steps up its presence there and writes more speeding tickets, there are fewer speeders.

Morgan noted that when the road was built in 1987, there were no plans for three lanes but there was room to accommodate five lanes. He also pointed out there remains the possibility of the school system adding a school along Fort Howard Road in the future.

“That’s one of the reasons I looked at now being a good time to change the speed limit,” he said.

Mayor Ken Lee pointed out that bike lanes can be found right alongside a highway with a 55 mph speed limit.

“We are trying to strike a balance here,” he said. “We don’t want any excessive costs in moving and redoing. At the same time, safety is a concern. If bringing the speed limit down to 35 mph makes it a safer condition, then that’s something we need to consider. But I don’t see the distance from the sidewalk to the highway as an issue, if you look at bike lanes being on the highway, and they’re going 55 mph.”