Editorial: Compromise is needed on local traffic issues (Sylva Herald 12/20/07)

The Sylva Herald Editorial 12/20/07
	Compromise is needed on local traffic issue The debate about what to do about traffic problems on N.C. 107 has gone on far too long. If we’re not careful, we’ll end up like the situation in Buncombe County where disagreement about how many lanes the I-26 connector should have and what type bridge should be built over the French Broad River have pushed construction back years while traffic bottlenecks worsen. The time has come for compromise from all interested parties, including county and town governments, the N.C. Department of Transportation and the Smart Roads Coalition. For starters, DOT should remove the segment of the proposed Southern Loop from N.C. 107 to U.S. 23/441 from any future planning. At the same time, Southern Loop opponents, including the Smart Roads group, should accept that the segment of the proposed highway from 107 to U.S. 23/74 is a viable option that must be considered. The 107-441 segment is not needed since roads such as N.C. 116, North and South River roads and Old Settlement Road provide alternative routes. No such alternate route exists for traffic going from 107 to 23/74. Building only the one segment addresses the Smart Roads argument that the road would hurt downtown Sylva. A plan by DOT Division Engineer Joel Setzer for the new highway to have full access control takes care of the concern that the road would lead to sprawl. We’re not endorsing the connector road yet. Before making a decision, we want to see projected traffic counts to decide if the improvement to traffic congestion on 107 would be worth the millions of dollars needed to build the route. At the same time, we are strong in our belief that the road deserves to be on the table as the discussion moves forward. Also deserving of a fair hearing is a proposal by Sylva Planning Director Jim Aust to build a series of two-lane roads to connect with existing roads as a way of moving some local traffic off 107. We’re concerned that proposal could lead to increased traffic congestion near Smoky Mountain High and Fairview Elementary schools as part of a new network that would run from Hospital Road to Fairview Road. However, that shouldn’t be a deal breaker. One thing we don’t favor is a roundabout at the intersection of N.C. 107 and U.S. 23 Business. It doesn’t appear that even a two-lane roundabout would be enough to handle traffic at that busy intersection and could make a bad situation even worse. A better plan would be to build another lane entering town from 107. County commissioners have shown the willingness to take the lead on other tough issues. Working together with officials from Sylva, Dillsboro, Webster and Forest Hills, as well as the DOT and Smart Roads, we believe commissioners could put us on a course to an acceptable solution. If everyone enters the discussion with an open mind, individuals may not get exactly what they want but we think a workable plan could be agreed upon by 90 percent of county residents. N.C. 107 has been a festering wound for too long, and a Band-Aid approach won’t work. We need bold steps to provide traffic relief for years to come.