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NCDOT’s Public Meeting About Highway 105 Superstreet Proposal Begins at 4 p.m. on Tuesday

By Nathan Ham

A big crowd is expected to show up at Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute on Tuesday evening for the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s first public meeting to hear input and questions about the proposed Highway 105 Superstreet construction project.

The public meeting will be from 4-7 p.m. in building W732 at CCC&TI, located at 372 Community College Drive in Boone. There will not be a formal presentation at the meeting, however project information and materials can be viewed online at https://www.ncdot.gov/news/public-meetings.

Prior to the meeting, the Boone Town Council has scheduled a special meeting with NCDOT officials at 2 p.m. to also get a sense of what the project entails.

According to comments last week from Boone Town Manager John Ward, no one from the town had seen the proposed plan until the NCDOT released them in a press release two weeks ago.

“We are aware of a lot of concerns and we have talked with a lot of businesses, especially those that are potentially being removed because of the proposed project,” said Ward. “This was a project that was identified as needing attention when the Watauga County Transportation Plan was adopted in 2011. With changing elected officials and changing staff, this is the first time anybody has really seen the design.”

The public may drop-in at any time during the meeting hours. NCDOT representatives will be available to answer questions and listen to comments regarding the project.

According to the NCDOT, the opportunity to submit comments will also be provided at the meeting or via phone, email, or mail by October 24, 2018.

“We’re looking for input from residence, business owners, and anybody that travels that corridor. We want them to come in with an open mind and take in the whole corridor and not a single location,” said David Uchiyama, the Western NC Public Relations Officer for the NCDOT.

Comments will be responded to between six and eight weeks after the comment period closes and feasible ideas for the project will move forward.

For additional information, contact Ramie Shaw, NCDOT Division 11 Project Manager, at P.O. Box 250 North Wilkesboro, NC 28659, 336-903-9134, or rashaw@ncdot.gov.