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WHAT’S GOING ON? Bike Lanes Added Along Blowing Rock Road From Hardee’s to N.C. 105 Intersection

Bike lanes were recently added to U.S. 321 in between Hardee's and the N.C. 105 intersection. Photo by Ken Ketchie
Bike lanes were recently added to U.S. 321 in between Hardee’s and the N.C. 105 intersection. Photo by Ken Ketchie

By Jesse Wood

July 22, 2013. At the urging of the Town of Boone, the N.C. Department of Transportation recently added bike lanes on U.S. 321 in between Hardee’s and the N.C. 105 intersection, according to NCDOT assistant resident engineer Ed Treadaway.

To accommodate bike lanes in both directions, the lanes were narrowed from 12 feet to 11 feet.

Treadaway said the Town of Boone initially requested the bike lanes on that section of Blowing Rock Road after the road received a fresh coat of striping, and by the time the request was approved, the winter weather and spring rains had eroded the striping.

“We would have had to black out the lines and add new ones, but fortunately, the harsh weather took care of that for us,” Treadaway said. “This is one of the times I didn’t mind.”

Last year bike lanes were added along much of U.S. 421 in between Hardin Street and Old East King Street. Although Treadaway said the goal is to add bike lanes wherever possible because of the high bike traffic in the High Country, he didn’t know offhand where future bike lanes would be added. He did say that there was talk of adding bike lanes on N.C. 105 in between Wendy’s and N.C. 105 Bypass. Treadaway said that those discussions died.

“I wasn’t directly involved in that section,” Treadaway said. “It might have been decided that there wasn’t enough width [to add bike lanes] and maintain a turning lane.”