Smoky Mountain News
November 28, 2007
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer
Members of Jackson County Smart Roads Alliance are sifting through
paperwork at the North Carolina Department of Transportation Division
14 office in Webster to find out how the Southern Loop road project
suddenly appeared on the state priority list.
The group filed a public records request earlier this month to see all
the documentation involving the Southern Loop, a four-lane bypass that
would run through Jackson County from U.S. 441 to U.S. 23-74 near
Scotts Creek.
But members are going to have trouble finding the sheet of paper that
many consider the smoking gun.
"There is nothing in here about how the project got on the TIP
(Transportation Improvement Program) list," Joel Setzer, division 14
chief engineer, said about the project's documentation. "I know how it
got on the TIP — at the request of me and Conrad Burrell, Division 14
representative on the state Board of Transportation."
Both men requested that the project be included in the TIP so that
funding could be allocated to begin planning stages, said Setzer.
"Time was passing without any plan to address growth in Jackson
County," he said.
Since the road's proposal, Smart Road members have been questioning why
the project was even proposed.
The Southern Loop has received much opposition by Jackson County
residents and county commissioners have gone on the record saying a
comprehensive transportation plan should be done that outlines
alternatives to the road.
Even though the Smart Roads group now knows who requested the project
be included on the TIP, it still wants more questions answered.
"The question still to be answered is why should it be built," said DJ
Gerkin, an attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center in
Asheville that is aiding the Smart Roads group.
"Either DOT decided its own reason, or were they persuaded by someone,"
he said.
"There are road projects all over Western North Carolina that are not
being funded. If DOT puts this on their own agenda, that also tells us
something," said Gerkin.
Just read the article in Wilm Star news about the landslide.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to pass this on: When I was stationed in Northern Japan 30 years ago, I observed that many mountainsides that rose above roadways were wrapped in, of all things, chain link fence. It seemed to be secured every 5 to 10 feet directly onto (into?) the mountain. Seems like this might work in your rock slide area.
They also had convex mirrors at every mountain hairpin turn so you could see the oncoming traffic...