Legislation that could change the state Department of Transportation's relationship with North Carolina cities has been shelved while DOT and city leaders try to become better friends.

DOT officials drafted the measure, which would make changes aimed at easing the department's cash flow problems and reducing state maintenance costs for city streets, Bruce Siceloff reports.

One provision would reclassify an estimated 4,700 miles of minor state-maintained roads inside city and town limits across the state, and start a process of shifting them to local government responsibility. Local elected officials have lobbied against that plan because it did not include  money to cover the added local road maintenance expense.

The bills also would change a once-per-year schedule used by DOT to distribute so-called Powell Bill funds for street maintenance costs to local towns and cities. DOT wants to spread out the payments to twice a year.

"We've parked that bill for the year — we're not going to run it," Sen. Clark Jenkins of Edgecombe County, sponsor of the Senate measure, said today.

More after the jump.

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The state may give back local road responsibilities.

During the Great Depression, North Carolina's state government took over the duties of paving and repairing local roads.

But facing high demand to fix the state's highways and bridges, the N.C. Department of Transportation is considering giving up that responsibility.

In most other states, county taxpayers are responsible for secondary roads.

A solution to move toward that system has been proposed by state Sens. Bob Rucho and Dan Clodfelter of Mecklenburg County. Their bill would have the counties take over about 64,000 of the 79,000 highway miles now maintained by the state.

Local property taxes would have to be raised to cover the expense. (N&O)