A portion of Old Cherokee Road between Cherokee Pond Trail and North Lake Drive will have sidewalks. Construction may start around the summer of 2026, according to the Town of Lexington’s Public Information Officer Laurin Barnes.

The sidewalks project, called the Safe Routes to Lakeside Middle School, is made possible through a grant awarded by the state’s transportation department and the Central Midlands Council of Governments. The total amount awarded to the town is $503,000, Barnes said.

The project “should last about 90-120 days” with “minimal impact on traffic,” she added; it may also encourage walking and bicycling to school as sidewalks are constructed. Additionally, the project could help connect surrounding neighborhoods. There are three neighborhoods directly connected to Old Cherokee Road within the vicinity of the project. North Lake Drive already has sidewalks.

Mayor Hazel Livingston announced the town's receipt of the grant in mid-October on her Facebook page. “This grant is a federal investment aimed at enhancing pedestrian safety and connectivity within communities and we are using it for a project entitled Safe Routes to Lakeside Middle School,” she wrote. “Councilman Todd Carnes is our designated representative to the Central Midlands Council of Governments and his faithful service to this board is what secured for us this significant grant. These funds will be used to place five foot wide ADA-compliant sidewalks on both sides of the roadway from Lakeside Middle School to North Lake Dr. providing for a safe walking path for students and citizens alike.”

While the ADA-compliant sidewalks run from the middle school to North Lake Drive, there will also be a sidewalk extending beyond Lakeside Middle School towards Cherokee Trail as determined by funding, Barnes said.

"In my role in representing the Town of Lexington on the Central Midlands Council of Governments Board, I became aware of an opportunity to apply for this federal grant at the very end of the fiscal year from newly available funds,” Carnes said. “I am happy to have been in a place to get this project funded for the citizens of Lexington and provide this much needed sidewalk for our community, especially in the vicinity of Lakeside Middle School and the surrounding neighborhoods. Going forward we are hopeful to seek and find other funding opportunities to continue providing pedestrian friendly spaces throughout our Town.”