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Public Information Meeting on N.C. 105 Widening Project Set for Tuesday, June 16

What the road is expected to look like after widening.
What the road is expected to look like after widening.

By Jesse Wood

The N.C. Department of Transportation will hold an informational meeting on the N.C. 105 widening project on Tuesday, June 16, from 4 to 7 p.m. on the Watauga Campus of Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute.

Initially, the road-widening project was to take place in two sections from Linville to the N.C. 105 Bypass in Boone, but in the past year the length of the project was scaled back because of lower traffic volumes and slower development since the recession.

Now, N.C. 105 will be widened from Old Shulls Mill Road to the N.C. 105 Bypass in Boone. According to the NCDOT, the purpose of the project is to reduce congestion and crashes.

The project study area.
The project study area.

The NCDOT sent out a newsletter this past week announcing the meeting. The pamphlet stated that the meeting would inform the public on changes to the project since the last meetings on this topic in 2011.

“Large maps showing the proposed project limits will be on display and the NCDOT project team will be available to answer questions and provide more information,” the newsletter reads.

The NCDOT will also take comments through July 14, 2015.

Construction is still several years away for the entire road. The bridge at Broadstone Road will be constructed first.

In 2018, right-of-way acquisitions will begin for the replacement and construction of the new bridge at Broadstone Road, which isn’t expected to be constructed until 2019.

In 2022, right-of-way acquisitions will begin for the rest of the project, and since the project is unfunded as of right now, there is now estimated construction date.

Between Old Shulls Mill Road and Broadstone Road, the improvements include:

  • extending the existing passing lane further to the south,
  • improving the southern Old Shulls Mill/N.C. 105 intersection,
  • closing northern Old Shulls Mill Road/N.C. 105 intersection; and
  • widening and paving roads.

Between Broadstone Road and N.C. 105 Bypass, the improvements include:

  • widening to four lanes with a 23-foot wide raised grass median and
  • widening and paving the shoulders

The meeting is taking place in Building W372 off of 372 Community College Drive in the CCC&TI campus in Boone.