View Maps of Potential Bypass, Which is At Least 10 Years Away and Has a $148M Price Tag – as of Right Now

By Jesse Wood 

April 27, 2012. A Watauga County Transportation Plan public drop-in workshop was held last night at the Watauga County Commissioners board room. Maps were laid out for folks to examine where the potential Daniel Boone Parkway will likely be paved. Also, those present could see where other improvements would take place to decongest the traffic that the High Country experiences. And as everyone knows, many of the main roads, including U.S. 321, U.S. 421 and N.C. 105, are already at overcapacity. 

The potential Daniel Boone Parkway was laid out on the maps (which are below). The proposed bypass sidesteps Boone – and coming into the High Country from Wilkesboro – the parkway starts after Deep Gap on U.S. 421 and comes out near Vilas on U.S. 421. Interchanges would be at U.S. 321 and N.C. 105.

Three other bypass plans have been discussed in the past, but Craig Hughes with the High Country Council of Governments said this option is what the steering committees sees as the most sensible and practical of the options.

If this bypass proposal is the one chosen, it still wouldn’t be built for quite some time. Hughes said N.C. Department of Transportation won’t fund this project for at least 10 years. The NCDOT’s webpage for the bypass project estimates it to cost $148 million. That includes $46 million for right-of-ways and $102 million for construction.  

But, of course, nothing is final. The next steering committee meeting is Thursday, June 7, where members will listen to feedback that citizens mentioned at yesterday’s workshop. The committee will also decide on a plan to recommend to Watauga County and other municipalities for adoption.

To read a previous article on the Comprehensive Transportation Plan, click here. For more info on other options of bypass, click here. 

(The last two maps listed show placement of potential Daniel Boone Parkway. For the maps below, the volume is the top number and capacity is the bottom number. Right click your mouse to rotate maps.)

Watauga Resource 2010 VC Map 01: This is the existing volumes and capacities for the primary roads in Watauga County for 2010.

Watauga Resource 2010 VC Map 02: This illustrates the existing volumes and capacities for the primary roads in Boone for 2010. 

Watauga Resource 2010 VC Scenario D Map 01 This illustrates the existing volumes and capacities for the primary roads in Watauga County for 2010 if the Daniel Boone Parkway already existed.

Watauga Resource 2010 VC Scenario D Map 02: This illustrates the existing volumes and capacities for the primary roads in Boone for 2010 if the Daniel Boone Parkway already existed. 

Watauga Resource 2040 VC Map 01: This illustrates the existing volumes and capacities for the primary roads in Boone for 2010 if the Daniel Boone Parkway already existed. 

Watauga Resource 2040 VC Map 02: This illustrates the projected 2040 volumes and capacities for the primary roads in Boone without any improvements.

Watauga Resource 2040 VC Scenario D Map 01: This illustrates the projected 2040 volumes and capacities for the primary roads in Watauga County with the recommended improvements.

Watauga Resource 2040 VC Scenario D Map 02: This illustrates the projected 2040 volumes and capacities for the primary roads in Boone with the recommended improvements.