“But while small portions of the road do appear to be much-needed transformations, will we now turn away in disgust and denial over what we’re doing to the people, animals and environments that will be most dreadfully affected?”
Tag: N.C. Department of Transportation
Showing 1-21 of 28 results
Letter: Let’s reduce litter’s hidden danger
“I think the N.C. Department of Transportation and North Carolina prison system should put minimum-security prisoners back out on the roads and streets to pick up litter.”
Council opts for $5.9M in I-26 aesthetic improvements
The “aesthetic treatments” approved as part of the package include improved lighting, safety railing, pedestrian and bike surfaces and monument pillars.
Letter: Where is help for people with disabilities?
“They waste money instead of building sidewalks on every state and city road.”
Letter: Brush kill leaves ugly mark
“Nowhere did I see the type of ugly, burnt band of chemical brush kill that I see all over North Carolina’s highway margins.”
Council to consider $1 land sale to private developer for affordable housing
Council is considering a public/ private partnership with Charlotte-based developer Laurel Street Residential for the construction of affordable housing in Asheville’s South Slope.
Council to hear $11.7M in ARPA requests
A week after the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners doled out about $4.9 million of its own American Rescue Plan Act allotment, Asheville City Council will consider over $11.7 million in ARPA projects Tuesday, May 10.
Letter: Think about better road design in Asheville
“A ‘stroad’ is a street/road combination that is often a wide street with a turn lane. The speeds on these roads are high, and they are very dangerous.”
Letter: Thanks for Meadow Road fix
“That curve of Meadow Road near the Norfolk Southern railroad entrance is so nice to drive on now!”
From CPP: Pandemic prompts cycling in cities, but NC politics could apply the brakes
Interest in cycling has increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but funding for bike-friendly roads faces an uphill battle, both in Asheville and across the state.
New commission to tackle county land use
Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Chair Brownie Newman lists land use policy as a top priority for the new commission, sworn in on Dec. 7. Board members will likely revisit the county’s land use plan, a document originally developed in 1998 and last updated in 2013, in response to rapid community growth.
Letter: Potential casualties of COVID-19 or bureaucracy?
“We’ve stressed the importance of not dismissing our medical professionals, the elderly and other such integral members of the community. Let’s not forget our fellow criminals.”
Enka ‘bridge to nowhere’ connection on Feb. 18 commission agenda
Board members will consider spending an additional $650,000 to connect the bridge to existing roads at the board’s regular meeting in Room 326 at 200 College St. Buncombe officials previously allocated $3 million in taxpayer money for the structure, which was started over four years ago and has yet to carry traffic over Hominy Creek.
Work begins on I-26 widening
Beginning next week, contractors will begin installing roadside signs and safety barriers on an approximately 18-mile stretch of Interstate 26, the first step in a $534 million project that will add multiple lanes to the heavily trafficked road. The N.C. Department of Transportation anticipates that construction will wrap up by the summer of 2024.
Collaborative works to reduce I-40 animal deaths
At least 35 bears have been struck and killed since May 2018 in the 28-mile stretch of I-40 between the Maggie Valley exit and the Foothills Parkway in Tennessee. The Pigeon River Gorge Wildlife Connectivity Project, a joint effort of at least 19 governmental and nonprofit groups, is working to bring that death rate down.
I-26 Connector construction delayed in draft plan
The I-26 Connector project, an almost $1 billion overhaul of the highway system in and around Asheville, is one of 37 Division 13 projects that have been changed in a new draft State Transportation Improvement Program for 2020-29. The draft STIP identifies state transportation projects that will receive funding over a 10-year timeframe.
News briefs: Merrimon project paused; county wants input on waste collection
The N.C. Department of Transportation and the city of Asheville have announced a plan to conduct a corridor study prior to planning improvements for Merrimon Avenue.
(SATIRE) Xpressers’ almanac: Predictions for the coming year
2019 prediction: Town of Biltmore Forest will greatly expand its influence in county government by allowing trees to vote.
Year in review: The future of the car in WNC
Asheville’s human population growth has been matched by an increase in the number of vehicles on the region’s roads. Efforts to accommodate the resulting traffic — or move people around the city in different ways — were at the heart of many new developments in 2018.
NCDOT gets input on Sweeten Creek expansion
To alleviate congestion and improve traffic flow, the N.C. Department of Transportation is in the early planning stages for widening Sweeten Creek Road from Rock Hill Road to Hendersonville Road.
Letter: The DOT must do better
“In a time when pollinators are in decline and environmental degradation high, surely the shredding mower can’t be that much more trouble (I hate that thing too, by the way).”