Press release from the NCDOT:
The N.C. Department of Transportation today unveiled its draft 10 year transportation plan for 2020-2029 at the monthly Board of Transportation meeting in Raleigh.
The plan, called the Draft 2020-2029 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), includes 16 new highway projects in Division 13. The division consists of Buncombe, Burke, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Rutherford and Yancey counties.
The department’s 10-year plan is updated every two years. Projects scheduled in the first five years of the plan are considered committed and were not re-evaluated when the new plan was developed. But projects in the final five years of each 10-year plan are prioritized again for consideration in the next plan. The Board of Transportation is expected to consider final approval of the draft plan this summer.
The 16 new projects for Division 13 include:
Modernizing North Louisiana from Patton Avenue to Emma Road in Buncombe County with right of way acquisition starting in fiscal year 2025 and construction in 2026;
Widening N.C. 226 from U.S. 221 to N.C. 226A in McDowell County with right of way acquisition starting in fiscal year 2029;
Improving the intersection of U.S. 221 with Thunder Road and Coxe Road in Rutherford County with right of way acquisition starting in fiscal year 2024 and construction in 2025.
Upgrade U.S. 25/70 from Tillery Branch Road to Monticello Road in Madison County with right of way acquisition starting in fiscal year 2029.
One project is being accelerated in the draft plan:Upgrading N.C. 81/Swannanoa River Road from U.S. 70/Tunnel Road to U.S. 74/South Tunnel Road. Right of way acquisition is accelerated by one year.
Projects with schedule adjustments include:Adjacent intersection improvements on Merrimon Avenue in Asheville to allow additional time to conduct a corridor study from I-240 to Beaverdam Road;
Creating a new interchange at I-40 and Liberty Road in Buncombe County to assist with balancing funds. Construction is moved to fiscal year 2022;
Building a new interchange at I-40 and Blue Ridge Road in Buncombe County to assist with balancing funds. Construction is moved to fiscal year 2022.“The 2020-29 Draft STIP continues to show the desire for improved and safer transportation connections in western North Carolina,” Division 13 Engineer Mark Gibbs said. “We have developed and vetted a comprehensive list of projects that will enhances the lives of our citizens by working diligently with transportation partners and local governments.”
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