C-T: New road formula improves chances of I-26 connector in Asheville

from the Asheville Citizen-Times

Local officials are hopeful that a new transportation funding formula signed into law by Gov. Pat McCrory could breathe life into the long-stalled Interstate 26 Connector project.

The $500 million project to improve the flow of traffic through the city should score significantly higher under the new N.C. Department of Transportation formula, Asheville Councilman Jan Davis said.

“I’m pretty optimistic about it,” said Davis, who serves on an ad hoc committee trying to reach agreement on the design and route of the project. “I think it gives us a greater opportunity to get the connector built.”

The Strategic Mobility Formula approved by state lawmakers and signed by McCrory last week will accelerate infrastructure improvements by allowing DOT to use existing funds more efficiently and create more jobs, the governor said. …

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About Margaret Williams
Editor Margaret Williams first wrote for Xpress in 1994. An Alabama native, she has lived in Western North Carolina since 1987 and completed her Masters of Liberal Arts & Sciences from UNC-Asheville in 2016. Follow me @mvwilliams

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