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Public Gives NCDOT Comments on Widening Project From 105 Bypass/ Old Shulls Mill

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Community members point to certain parts of the N.C. 105 that they are inquisitive about or that may affect them at the public meeting on Monday. In the background is Watauga Commissioner Perry Yates discussing the project with constituents. Photos by Ken Ketchie

By Jesse Wood

The N.C. Department of Transportation held a public meeting to discuss the N.C. 105 widening project in Boone this past Monday with community members. The meeting took place on the Watauga Campus of Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute.

project-study-areaOver the past few years the N.C. 105 widening project has been scaled back a bit. Initially, the NCDOT recommended that the highway be widened from Boone to Linville. Now, the project is slated to happen between Old Shulls Mill Road (east of Foscoe) to N.C. 105 Bypass in Boone.

The purposes of this project, according to the NCDOT, are to:

– Reduce congestion on N.C. 105 for commuters and visitors.
– Reduce rear-end and run-off road crashes.
– Improve bicycle facilities in areas where capacity or safety improvements are proposed.

“Between Old Shulls Mill Road and Broadstone Road, improvements include extending the existing passing lane further to the south, improving the southern Old Shulls Mill Road/N.C. 105 intersection, closing the northern Old Shulls Mill Road/N.C. 105 intersection, and widening and paving the shoulders,” according to the NCDOT.

“Between Broadstone Road and N.C. 105 Bypass, improvements include widening to four lanes with a 23-foot wide raised grass median and widening and paving the shoulders. The bridge that carries N.C. 105 over the Watauga River north of the Broadstone Road (S.R. 1112) intersection will be replaced as part of this project. Construction on the bridge will begin before construction on the rest of the corridor,” according to the NCDOT.

The following is the project’s schedule:

  • Fall/Winter 2016: Public Hearing; Preparation of final environmental document
  • Fiscal Year 2018: Right-of-way acquisition begins for bridge at Broadstone Road
  • Fiscal Year 2019: Construction begins for bridge at Broadstone Road
  • Fiscal Year 2022: Right-of-way acquisition begins for the rest of the project
  • Unfunded: Construction for the rest of the project

If you were unable to attend the meeting, the NCDOT will still accept written comments until Dec. 9, 2016. Mail comments to NCDOT Public Involvement Group Leader Jamille Robbins at 1548 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1548 or reach  Robbins by phone or email at 919-707-6085 and jarobbins@ncdot.gov.

Check out images from the public workshop on Monday below, where you can also links to renderings of the project on display.

https://www.ncdot.gov/download/projects/publichearings/R-2566B-PHM-Sheet1-OldShullsMillRd-9-2016.pdf

https://www.ncdot.gov/download/projects/publichearings/R-2566B-PHM-Sheet2-Broadstone-BairdsCreek.pdf

https://www.ncdot.gov/download/projects/publichearings/R-2566B-PHM-Sheet-3-NC-105-Bypass-9-2016.pdf

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