Aug. 17, 2012. The N.C. Board of Transportation adopted an updated long-range transportation plan to help guide the state’s future transportation investments. Called the 2040 Plan, the document provides a 30-year transportation blueprint for the state.
Aug. 16, 2012. AppalCART bus service is preparing for a number of changes coinciding with the start of the new school year. The transportation authority is adding two more buses and altering routes. They also expect to move into a new $5.5 million transit facility within a few weeks of the start of the new semester.
BY GREG HINCE
Aug. 2, 2012. The N.C. Department of Transportation is in the process of developing a new statewide pedestrian and bicycle plan – and it is seeking the public’s help to craft a vision for the future of walking and biking in North Carolina.
July 16, 2012. On Friday, July 13, one of the four annual major Watauga County “Booze It & Lose It” checkpoints was set up on N.C. 105 in Foscoe.
BY PAUL T. CHOATE
June 29, 2012. Lane closures will not take place in the U.S. 321 widening project work zone through Blowing Rock during the week of July 2-6 due to the Independence Day holiday. Clearing crews will be in the work zone during this period, but no closures will be required.
June 18, 2012. Includes extensive list of DOT land purchases! The $66.4 million price tag on the widening of U.S. Highway 321 from Blackberry Road in Caldwell County to Shoppes on the Parkway in Blowing Rock does not tell the whole story of how much this project is really costing the NCDOT.
BY PAUL T. CHOATE
June 14, 2012. The Town of Boone will receive $45,000 from a North Carolina Department of Transportation grant to assist the local bicycle plan. The money will be put toward adding bike lanes on area roads.
BY PAUL T. CHOATE
June 8, 2012. It’s the talk of Boone and Blowing Rock. Will this road construction ever end? Well, the short answer is: yes. Some projects sooner than later, but according to Doug Eller, NCDOT resident engineer, progress is moving right along.
BY PAUL T. CHOATE
May 23, 2012. Motorists can expect slowdowns on U.S. 421 as NCDOT contractor Blythe Development puts down the final layer of pavement. This work is the final step in the widening of U.S. 421 from Hardin Street to N.C. 194 of downtown Boone that began in July 2009. The contractor will work over the entire Memorial Day weekend. The project is anticipated to be complete by mid-July.
Photo by Ken Ketchie
May 24, 2012. Lane closures will not take place in the U.S. 321 widening project work zone through Blowing Rock from 6 a.m. on Friday, May 25, to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 29, due to the Memorial Day holiday.
May 8, 2012. RALEIGH — N.C. Department of Transportation Secretary Gene Conti has awarded a $9.6 million design-build contract to replace two bridges each in Watauga and Ashe counties, four in Avery County, one in Caldwell County and six in Wilkes County.
March 9, 2012. UPDATE: This winter Boone has only seen 13.7 inches of snow as of the first week of March with spring not far away. Additionally, road salt usage by the NCDOT has been down significantly and independent contractors have not been called in as frequently.
BY PAUL T. CHOATE
March 8, 2012. N.C. Department of Transportation Secretary Gene Conti has awarded a contract to replace the Meat Camp Road bridge over Meat Camp Creek in Meat Camp.