Efforts to rally quick support for a cheaper I-26 Connector route over the French Broad River might well have boosted chances the project will win state funding, the Asheville Citizen-Times reported Tuesday.
But the numbers cast some doubt on the urgency of widening Interstate 240 in West Asheville as part of the same project, the Citizen-Times story said.
The section of connector that would include an additional bridge across the French Broad to take some traffic off Bowen Bridge ranked 37th of 339 projects competing for funding in preliminary rankings released by the state Department of Transportation.
Officials still must re-check the figures and add new projects to also be ranked over the coming months. But if the connector’s ranking holds, more or less, it should be high enough to get funding.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.