Smart Roads Alliance


The Jackson County Smart Roads Alliance was formed in 2002 in response to a proposal by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) to build a new $132 million* highway through the middle of our most precious and beautiful rural county. Our goal since 2002 has been to work together as a community and create smart solutions to our traffic and transportation issues. (* $132 million construction cost source: NCDOT 2008)

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North Carolina Department of Transportation


NCDOT is planning to build the $132 million Southern Loop Bypass (NC 107 Connector) from US 23-74 in Balsam to NC 107 between Sylva and Cullowhee - NCDOT project STIP R-4745 is funded and construction will begin in 2016 unless the public demands other solutions.

The Resolutions

The Resolutions, unanimously signed in 2003 by the representative leaders from all four of Jackson County's incorporated towns (Sylva, Dillsboro, Webster, Forest Hills) requested that NCDOT "remove the Southern Loop Bypass from its long-range plan" and instead develop strategies for "improving existing roads as alternatives to the Bypass". A copy of the resolution and a petitions with thousands of Jackson County citizen's signatures were turned in to NCDOT at their annual State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) meetings to stop this proposed new highway. Despite public opposition, NCDOT is moving forward with this massive new highway project.

Other important articles with background information:
2009 - Smart Roads Alliance Position: Jackson County Comprehensive Transportation Plan
2008 - Construction on 23-74/107 connector could begin in 2015
2008 - Smart Roads Files Compaint Over Southern Loop
2008 - Smart Roads Event Discusses Alternatives to Southern Loop
2007 - Leaders, citizens demand input as road plan progresses
2007 - Southern Loop Opposition Mounts
2007 - Burrell, Setzer Plug Plan for Southern Loop (ignoring public outcry and towns' wishes)
2007 - Southern Loop On Priority List, Transportation Advisory Committee Disagrees
2007 - STIP Includes Funding For Portion of Southern Loop
2003 - "Who will decide the future growth of Jackson County?"
2003 - Sylva, Dillsboro Join Official Opposition to Southern Loop (The Resolutions)
2002 - Smart Roads Alliance Formed
2001 - NCDOT Division 14 Engineer Ron Watson updates EDC on 'southern loop' status
2001 - Southern Loop Feasibility Study Approved


The original proposed new highway project would have cost over $230* million to construct ($26 million per mile) and continued to US 23-441 through Webster. The Jackson County Smart Roads Alliance was instrumental in getting the Webster portion of the bypass removed from the R-4745 plan. (* NCDOT 2001 estimate)

LATEST NEWS

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Visit our Community News Archive or Search Blog to view older articles (since 2007).
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For older news articles (2000 - 2007) click here.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Smart Roads event discusses alternatives to Southern Loop

Smart Roads event discusses alternatives to Southern Loop
The Sylva Herald
January 17, 2008
By Stephanie Salmons

An event last Thursday (Jan. 10) hosted by the Smart Roads Coalition
sought to inform local citizens of alternatives to the proposed
Southern Loop.

Initial plans indicated the Southern Loop would run from U.S. 23/441
south of Dillsboro, cross N.C. 107 near Locust Creek and intersect with
U.S. 23/74 near Blanton Branch, but right-of-way acquisition funding in
the Department of Transportation's Transportation Improvement Plan is
only for the 107-23/74 connector.

Independent traffic engineer Walter Kulash of Orlando-based Glatting
Jackson Inc. was on hand to discuss one possible alternative – a
network of smaller connecting roads that's based on a similar plan
proposed in 2003 by Sylva Planning Director Jim Aust.

While Kulash's talk was short on specifics, the map Aust drew four
years ago included construction of 6.5 miles of new two-lane roads and
improving 3.8 miles of existing roads.

By building a 1-mile connector to join the relocated Hospital Road with
Cope Creek Road, travelers from the Moody Bottom area could avoid the
Business 23/107 intersection, Aust said at that time. Another connector
could give Dillardtown residents access to the same new road, he said.

Constructing another mile or so of new road from Cope Creek to Haskett
Road could provide travelers with an alternate route to Fairview
Elementary and Smoky Mountain High schools. Also included is a
connector from Claude Cook Road, off of East Cope Creek, to Songbird
Lane in the area of Fairview Road.

Among other features of Aust's plan are a new road to connect Griffin
Road to Buchanan Loop, to provide a back entrance to Wal-Mart and a
connection from Cherry Street to Walter Ashe Road to allow Rhodes Cove
travelers to enter the highway at a controlled intersection.

Another road shown as a connector on a more recent Aust map runs from
Blanton Branch Road, one terminus for the proposed Southern Loop, to
Cane Creek Road. That route already exists though a portion of it is
unpaved and very difficult for most vehicles to travel.

The updated map from Aust shows numerous other proposed connectors.
Included are roads from Locust Creek to East Cope Creek, Claude Cook
Road to the new Blanton Branch-Cane Creek connector, Cope Creek to
Lovesfield near Wal-Mart, and North River Road to the back of Wal-Mart.

Kulash said that upgrading existing roads and building a series of
two-lane connector roads is a more demanding and sophisticated solution
than the Southern Loop.

According to Kulash, the roads are now laid out in what is referred to
as a conventional pattern of design, which means that land uses are
separated and the roads are not connected. This is compared to a
traditional pattern of design, much like downtown Sylva, where
everything is connected.

With the conventional design, a majority of travel has to be conducted
on the main highway, much like having to drive on 107 to get to
Wal-Mart or to any educational institution, Kulash said. This increases
the number of turning movements, which impedes traffic.

"Every trip is hostage to this highway," Kulash said. "It never was the
mission of the N.C. Department of Transportation to carry every last
trip for every development on the state highway system," he said.

He said the highway should be used for important regional trips,
long-distance commuting or tourism while "proverbial trips to Wal-Mart
for a loaf of bread should not be held hostage to that highway."

Kulash said the proposed network provides other routes to various
destinations, such as Western Carolina University, SMHS, Southwestern
Community College and Harris Regional Hospital without having to access
parts of N.C. 107.

Kulash said in comparison to the networking alternative, a bypass is
not as advantageous as one might believe.

According to Kulash, the proposed Southern Loop would offer more
benefits to people coming from outside of the area than to those
already here.

Kulash said a bypass will also create a "hot spot" because there will
only be one interchange on 107.

"All traffic using (the Southern Loop) for our educational institutions
would get funneled through this (interchange) so (vehicles) either go
north to get to SCC and the high school or south to get to WCU. We're
back to keeping people hostage to 107. It's not the same distance it
was before, but we still have that 'hot spot,' " he said.

According to Kulash, the bypass would not be used locally for commerce,
but more by individuals coming from outside the area.

However, he said with the network alternative, there would be a myriad
of ways to get from within the area to various destinations.

According to Kulash, a connecting series of roads will bring down the
volume of cars on 107 nearly as much as a four-lane bypass would, "but
we're doing it in an entirely different way and we're gaining a lot of
street frontage in the meantime."

Kulash contends that NCDOT officials need to look at other alternatives.

"Right now, we're looking at something that's way at the bottom of the
cost and benefits scale, which is to do nothing. Then we're looking at
something that's a very expensive, high-benefit solution of a four-lane
freeway," Kulash said. "We maintain that there is probably a whole
spectrum of alternatives in between. There's always an alternative that
captures a lot of the (benefits) at a (smaller) cost. That's what we're
interested in finding here. We think it's the network."

During the question-and-answer segment following Kulash's presentation,
one audience member asked about the cost of building a four-lane
highway.

According to Kulash, it's "not that unusual" for a properly mitigated
road to cost between $40 and $50 million per mile to construct.

DOT Division 14 engineer Joel Setzer, who attended the session but did
not participate, told The Herald Monday that Kulash gave a lot of good
information that "seemed to be founded in good engineering thought."

"The specifics of it need to be looked at more, but there was a lot of
good thought and a lot of good ideas in his presentation," Setzer said.

Kulash did not go into specifics with regard to his connection routes,
but the one shown by Kulash through the Cane Creek area is doing the
same thing DOT has proposed, which is to get traffic "more toward its
destination without the congestion."

During a May 2007 conversation, Setzer told The Herald that he
envisions the portion of the Southern Loop that would connect U.S.
23/74 with N.C. 107 as a two-lane road that would perhaps be
constructed on a four-lane right of way. In his mind, that new road
would have full access control with no driveways, he said. According to
Setzer, such total access control would not invite development except
at the interchange where the new road joins N.C. 107, and a road like
that could move a lot of traffic safely and quickly.

The similarity Setzer saw between Kulash's idea and DOT plans is that
while the Blantons Branch area still seems the most likely starting
point from U.S. 74 for that portion of the Southern Loop, he said in
May that planners might now look at merging with N.C. 107 closer to
Cullowhee, possibly through Cane Creek.

With regard to the plan Kulash described last week, Setzer said there
would need to be more discussion about what kind of connector roads
would be built; Kulash said Thursday night that he envisions roads with
a 45 mph speed limit.

"We need to look at any alternatives we can offer people to relieve
congestion," Setzer said.

Avram Friedman, head of the Canary Coalition, and local architect Odell
Thompson, spoke about other possibilities to relieve traffic in the
area.

"I'm fond of saying the DOT is the 'Department of Transportation,' not
the 'Department of Roads,' " Friedman said. "There's more than one way
to move around from one place to the next. You can walk, you can take a
bicycle – in some places you can take buses or trolleys and trains.
Shouldn't we be considering this public transportation option as an
option for us as well?"

Friedman said that one option he'd thought of is a light rail system
that would connect the state's entire university system and allow small
communities to "plug in" to it.

According to Friedman and Thompson, light rails, or monorails, can use
existing corridors.

"The important thing here is that we have multiple forms of
transportation that are interconnecting," Thompson said. He said that
any community can make use of mass transit systems.

Thompson said that as it gets more expensive to own and operate
individual vehicles, then mass transit is an alternative that needs to
be considered.

Setzer said that currently in North Carolina, light rail is only
available in Charlotte, so the idea of getting a light rail installed
in rural areas compared to some of the larger urban areas is "thinking
out of the box."

However, he said that if individuals decide to pursue this option,
"that's fine," but that he added that the same thing could be
accomplished with a bus system.

Smart Roads members Bob Warshaw and Jay Coward gave the closing
remarks. Both warned individuals who are against the Southern Loop to
be vigilant because, in their words, the NCDOT is not going to let the
matter rest.

Warshaw called for citizens to press the issue with their elected
representatives or "we will find a new slate of candidates and let this
issue be a referendum on whether these people should stay in office."

Warshaw mentioned the level of "game-playing" that goes on in
Washington D.C., and told the audience it's happening here as well.

"They (Washington politicians) are amateurs as opposed to what we have
right here in Sylva," he said.

Setzer said Monday that he was surprised that this statement was met
with applause.

Setzer said he had faith in local leaders and Warshaw's comments were a
"mischaracterization."

Coward warned those present not to believe the NCDOT until "such a time
that we have documents to prove what they're saying and they're held
accountable."

Setzer said that while the DOT was not given the opportunity to speak
or answer questions Thursday, he felt the presentations made by Kulash
and Friedman were beneficial in helping find a solution to the traffic
problem on 107.

However, he said that statements made by Warshaw and Coward were
counterproductive to the effort.

"I felt like both Warshaw's and Coward's comments were polarizing and
did not help Smart Roads, NCDOT or local governments," Setzer said
Monday. "I thought their statements drove a wedge in relationships
because it's hard to work together with someone who's attacking you.
We're going to strive to come together to seek a solution for the
traffic problem, but it makes it much more difficult when you're being
attacked."

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Residents hear about alternatives for Southern Loop

Residents hear about alternatives for Southern Loop
Smoky Mountain News
January 16, 2007
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer

Tom Dowell searches a large topographic map of Jackson County for his
home located along Airy Lane. He is one of the many residents whose
homes may be in jeopardy if the North Carolina Department of
Transportation gets its way and the Southern Loop is built.

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, will reduce
traffic congestion along N.C. 107 out of Sylva, according to DOT
officials.

"It could be affected," Dowell said about his home of 32 years. He was
one of more than 100 residents who attended a public hearing about the
road on Jan. 10.

"I am opposed because if the problem is the traffic on N.C. 107, I
don't see how this will solve it," Dowell said. "I see no reason why
this will help."

Because of such opposition, DOT has agreed to do a traffic study to
examine alternatives to the Southern Loop. Members of Jackson County's
Smart Roads Alliance, however, want their own study done to make sure
that all alternatives are equitably considered.

An alternate route

"Finding an alternate is the best solution and best defense," Smart
Roads Chairwoman Jeanette Evans said at the Jan. 10 meeting. "It will
help us generate ideas and focus on what we are up against. It's going
to take a community to find a solution to this."

The main focus of the public meeting was to discuss alternatives to the
Southern Loop.

Guest speaker Walter Kulash, a private traffic engineer who has been
working with Smart Roads for four years, presented a potential
alternative to the Southern Loop at the meeting.

Kulash says that instead of building a multi-lane freeway like the
proposed Southern Loop, an alternative would be to build several
smaller roads. He says that new roads and upgrades to existing roads
like North River Road and King Creek Road will create a network that
will be able to handle regional traffic better.

Implementing a plan like this, however, is "much more trickier to plan
and in many ways more demanding," said Kulash.

One part of Kulash's presentation included a breakdown of the time it
takes to get to different places along N.C. 107.

"Every trip is hostage to this highway," he said.

Kulash said with the alternate solution in place you can get to places
without starting at the primary highway.

Also at the meeting was Joel Setzer, N.C. Department of Transportation
Region 14 division engineer. Setzer was invited by the Smart Roads
group but was asked not to speak or answer questions at the meeting.

Seltzer, in an interview from his office, said that both parties —
Smart Roads and DOT — agree more capacity is needed.

"This transportation problem is a real problem, and a do-nothing
approach is something that is detrimental," Setzer said.

A network of roads

By implementing a network of streets, community members will be able to
walk to stores and access the downtown district by foot or bike.
Imagine being able to walk to the Movie Gallery located along N.C. 107
by foot or bicycle instead of having to drive in the car.

Additionally, having numerous smaller streets will provide easier
access for visitors and local drivers. When one looks at the proposed
route of the Southern Loop on a map, Kulash says that it mainly
benefits those entering the town from outside the area who want to
access Western Carolina University or the retail stores.

"It's good for the extra access, but how about those local folks," he
said.

Kulash's presentation contained some information that Setzer said
features similar concepts that the DOT is considering. Setzer
references one of the connecting roads that Kulash showed during the
presentation as a "feature that DOT is looking to explore in the bypass
project."

The connecting roadway that Setzer is referencing would connect U.S.
23-74 to old N.C. 107. According to Setzer "that connection is
something that DOT is trying to do."

"I don't know if DOT is far off from what the Smart Roads is asking to
be done," he said in reference to Kulash's alternative road proposal.

Under the network option, visitors and local drivers will be able to
travel throughout the community without always using N.C. 107.

Both alternatives — the Southern Loop and a network of roads — will end
up decreasing driving time, said Kulash. According to Kulash's
predictions, a driver spends about 17 minutes commuting along N.C. 107
right now, however, the travel time can be reduced to nine minutes if
the Southern Loop is built. It will also be reduced to nine minutes if
the roads are upgraded and the speed limits are increased to 45 mph, he
said.

Another benefit of the network of roads is that it will cut down on the
number of local trips.

According to Kulash, the DOT estimates that the number of cars using
N.C. 107 will reach 56,000 per day in 2025; however, this number will
be reduced if the network of roads is implemented.

By 2025 the traffic count on N.C. 107 will reduce to 25,000 vehicles if
new smaller roads are built, which is the same number expected if the
Southern Loop is built.

Kulash's alternatives are not something that DOT is going to brush
aside.

"We do plan to hopefully talk with Kulash on Thursday to compare
notes," Setzer said. "We plan to look at some of his concepts and look
at what could be added as an alternative to this project."

The Smart Roads meeting also brought out several Jackson County public
officials. Some officials present at the meeting included Sylva
Aldermen Maurice Moody, Ray Lewis and Sarah Graham, Sylva Town Manager
Jay Denton, and Jackson County Commissioners Tom Massie and Mark Jones.

‘Alternatives to Southern Loop’ to be topic of tonight’s meeting

'Alternatives to Southern Loop' to be topic of tonight's meeting
The Sylva Herald
January 10, 2008

Smart Roads Alliance will hold an open meeting on alternatives to the
Southern Loop from 6:30 until 9 p.m. tonight (Thursday), in Courtroom 1
at the Justice Center.

Smart Roads is a grassroots organization that advocates for a more
flexible approach to solving traffic congestion on N.C. 107 than is
being proposed by North Carolina's Department of Transportation.

According to publicist Roger Turner, NCDOT officials have indicated
that the only solution for relieving traffic congestion on the busy
road is by building a $400 million "multi-lane freeway" around Sylva.
However, DOT Division Engineer Joel Setzer has indicated to The Sylva
Herald that only the U.S. 74/N.C. 107 connector is being studied at
this time and that he envisions a two-lane road on a four-lane right of
way that would have full access control.

Event organizers believe such roads reinforce "the longstanding
conventional approach to traffic congestion – adding more capacity –
has not only failed to stem traffic congestion, but has actually
accelerated the rate of growth in congestion, while degrading the
travel experience and quality of communities," Turner said.

The evening's featured speaker will be Walter Kulash, an independent
traffic engineer formerly with the Orlando-based community-planning
firm of Glatting Jackson, Inc. Kulash combines 40 years of licensed
professional engineering experience with an academic background in
engineering at N.C. State and Northwestern.

He has worked on traffic and transit planning projects throughout the
United States and Canada and has specialized since the early 1990s in
the "rapidly emerging field of livable traffic design." He has been a
consultant to the Smart Roads group since 2003.

"There is strong community support for the preservation of our rural
landscape," said Susan Leveille, Smart Roads representative to the
Jackson County Transportation Task Force. "The Southern Loop will only
accelerate the loss of that landscape. It would be like extending the
Jackson County Airport runway for another 14 miles, causing more
mountain ridge/top instability and erosion."

Smart Roads is the only community-based organization on the county's
Transportation Task Force, where its representatives advocate for the
county to develop a more comprehensive transportation system, better
community planning to reduce dependence on cars, and using an
independent traffic consultant for a corridor study of N.C.107.

According to Harold Messer of Locust Creek, a Smart Roads member, "the
meeting will open the public's eyes to other ideas for fixing 107."

"You don't need to build loops or add another four lanes or eliminate a
lot of businesses. I suspect a DOT study will only reinforce the
Southern Loop," Messer said. "The county should use an impartial
traffic consultant."

The event will also be a fund-raiser and membership drive for Smart
Roads.

"We believe this will rekindle public interest in a planning process
that has largely ignored the public since 2003," said Smart Roads
member Jeanette Evans.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

DOT road hearings have potential for controversy

DOT road hearings have potential for controversy
Smoky Mountain News
January 9, 2007
By Becky Johnson • Staff Writer

A public hearing on dozens of proposed road projects in the region —
including the controversial Southern Loop in Jackson County, the Siler
Road extension in Macon County, and Corridor K through Swain County —
will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 15, outside Andrews.

Every year, the Department of Transportation holds a public hearing on
its list of upcoming road projects for the region. The meeting covers
all road projects in the DOT's most western district — including
Jackson, Macon and Swain counties. The meeting is held in a different
county within the district each year, forcing people to travel long
distances for their turn at the microphone. Speakers are limited to
three minutes.

There are several controversial road projects on the DOT's list that
could attract speakers. But the public hearing is a chance for anyone
to voice their complains to the DOT on any subject, from substandard
shoulders on their commute route to a congested intersection that needs
fixing.

• The Southern Loop in Jackson County — This four-lane divided highway
would bisect Jackson County somewhere between Sylva and Cullowhee,
bridging N.C. 107 with a freeway interchange. It would tie into U.S.
23-74 north of Sylva and tie into U.S. 441 south of Dillsboro.

• The Siler Road extension in Macon County — This new road would
parallel and most likely bridge the Little Tennessee River. The road
would pass by the doorstep of the new Macon County Library and
Southwestern Community College campus, but is also billed providing
access to private developers with grand plans for commercial
enterprises that would otherwise lack good access. It would also
reconfigure traffic in and out of the Clark's Chapel community.

• Corridor K — This four-lane divided highway would go from Cherokee
County to Swain County, passing through Graham County along the way. It
would be an alternative to driving through the narrow Nantahala Gorge
when traveling to Andrews and Murphy. Currently, there is no four-lane
road to get to Andrews and Murphy.

The public hearing will be at the Tri-County Community College on U.S.
64 east of Andrews. For more information call Ryan Sherby, regional
community planning director, at 828.586.1962 ext. 214.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Competing road studies likely for N.C. 107

Competing road studies likely for N.C. 107
Smoky Mountain News
January 2, 2008
By Becky Johnson • Staff Writer

The next year could play out as a battle of the traffic studies between
the Department of Transportation and opponents to a new four-lane
divided highway through Jackson County.

For years, opponents to the Southern Loop have called on the DOT to
consider alternatives to a new highway. But DOT officials have insisted
it is the only solution to traffic congestion on N.C. 107 — the main
commercial drag and major commuter road in Jackson County.

Bending to public pressure to consider alternatives, the DOT has
finally agreed to do a traffic study of N.C. 107 to see what it would
take to fix the congestion without building a new highway.

But Southern Loop opponents aren't satisfied. A group called the
Jackson County Smart Roads Alliance is questioning the DOT's sincerity
before the study has even begun. They fear the DOT will prejudice the
study — namely by developing an alternative fix for N.C. 107 that is so
distasteful the Southern Loop will look like the lesser of two evils.

"Every idea we have given them for an alternative has been constantly
shot down," said Harold Messer, an opponent to the Southern Loop. "The
first thing they do is say it won't work. To them the only thing that
will work is the Southern Loop."

Officials with DOT were out of the office over the past week and could
not be reached for this story. But in a recent memo, Joel Setzer, head
of the DOT in the region, portrayed the DOT as genuine in its
exploration of alternatives. He said their study will look at
"improving existing N.C. 107 as an alternative to the Southern Loop."

The memo was circulated within the DOT and to town and county officials
two weeks ago in response to an ad Smart Roads placed in the Sylva
Herald newspaper. The ad — spanning two full pages — blasted the DOT
and listed hundreds of people who could have their property taken
depending on the ultimate route chosen for the Southern Loop. Setzer's
memo called the ad "misleading."

Setzer also objected to the characterization of the DOT in the ad,
namely a statement that DOT "continues to ignore reasonable
alternatives." Setzer said DOT has agreed to conduct a study
specifically to identify alternatives to the Southern Loop.

"This study will look at N.C. 107 from U.S. 23 Business to Cullowhee to
determine what can be improved so this highway will perform acceptably
into the future," Setzer wrote in the memo.

It sounds exactly like the kind of study Smart Roads wants, but not
under the auspices of the DOT. Smart Roads wants an independent
consultant who doesn't answer to the DOT to do the study.

In Waynesville, a traffic consultant will soon begin a study of Russ
Avenue, the main commercial corridor in that town. But the consultant
won't be answering to DOT during the project. Instead, DOT gave a
$40,000 grant to the town, which in turn is hiring the traffic
consultant of its choosing and setting its own parameters for the
study. Roger Turner, a member of Smart Roads, wants an arrangement like
that for Jackson County when it comes to the study of N.C. 107.

DOT is certainly not short on studies at the moment. In fact, there are
two more in the works, both regarding the Southern Loop.

The DOT is currently in the planning phase for the Southern Loop. The
planning phase is the last step before the DOT starts buying right of
way. Several million has been allocated for the planning phase, which
could take several years, however.

Messer said DOT should halt the planning phase for the Southern Loop
until alternatives are explored.

"You have the cart so far ahead of the horse. Let your process have an
opportunity to work. Then if the community sees a need for the road,
put it back on," Messer said.

But Setzer said that the planning phase for the Southern Loop won't
include just the Southern Loop.

"It will look at additional alternatives including a 'no build' or 'do
nothing' alternative," Setzer said in his memo.

The DOT is also supposedly working on yet a third study: a
comprehensive transportation plan for the entire county. That study has
been promised by the DOT for three years now, but hasn't materialized.
The study has stagnated due to staff changes in the DOT. The DOT is now
on its third staff person assigned to the study. All of them worked out
of Raleigh. There were long gaps between staff changes when no one was
assigned to the study at all.

2009-2015 Draft TIP Public Comment Meetings

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Ryan Sherby" <ryan@regiona.org>
> Date: January 2, 2008 9:52:42 AM EST
> Subject: 2009-2015 Draft TIP Public Comment Meetings
>
>
> FYI
>  
> This is a chance for the public to comment on the Draft State
> Transportation Improvement Program.  The NCDOT division 14A meeting
> will be on January 15th, 2008 in MURPHY, NC at Tri-County Community
> College, 4600 East US 64 in the McSwain Building – Conference Room.
>  
> All meetings are from 2-4PM, with registration beginning 1 hour prior
> to the meeting. 
>  
> Attached are the meeting locations for all of the divisions.
>  
> Ryan Sherby
> RPO Planner
> Southwest Commission - Region A
> 125 Bonnie Lane
> Sylva, NC 28779
> (828) 586-1962 x214
> www.regiona.org
>  

"We are for the preservation of our communities.
We are not against growth and development,
nor a reasonable expansion of existing roads.
"

- Lydia Aydlett, Smart Roads Alliance

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."


- Margaret Mead