DOT signals fresh look at Southern Loop

DOT signals fresh look at Southern Loop
Smoky Mountain News
April 16, 2008
Editorial

The state Department of Transportation has removed the most
controversial portion of the Southern Loop from its priority list, a
decision that is great news for Jackson County.

The Sylva Herald was the first to report last week that the DOT board
voted April 3 to stop planning for the portion of the road that would
have started somewhere along U.S. 441 and connected with N.C. 107
somewhere between Sylva and Cullowhee.

That portion of the Southern Loop — originally envisioned by DOT as a
connector between U.S. 441 and U.S. 23-74 — was the most hotly
contested because it would have traveled through historic Webster and
would have had to cross the Tuckasegee River.

The state decision is a welcome surprise, but there were indications it
was perhaps being considered.

As recently as April 2007 it appeared the Southern Loop was on the way
to being built. Division 14 DOT Chief Engineer Joel Setzer told The
Smoky Mountain News that he did not see any alternative to the proposed
bypass: "There isn't an alternative that can accommodate the traffic on
107. It is like trying to get a certain amount of water through a
four-inch pipe. It comes a time when you have so much water you can't
force it through."

By early this year, though, Setzer's opinion wasn't quite so strong. He
assured Jackson County citizens that the DOT was looking at several
options, including those that could include not building anything at
all: "(The study) will look at additional alternatives including a 'no
build' or 'do nothing' alternative," Setzer said in a memo circulated
within the DOT.

This proposed road has been, perhaps, the most controversial issue in
Jackson County over the last decade. The road has galvanized opponents
and led to the creation of the Smart Roads Alliance, which has doggedly
fought for other alternatives and a more open transportation planning
process.

In the opinion of many, the huge four-lane that would have cut a swath
through the countryside of Jackson County was a classic example of what
many in this state regard as DOT's impudence. That impudence took two
fronts: one, it ignored the desires of a majority of locals; and two,
it showed that the state's only solution to traffic woes was to build
more, bigger roads rather than looking at alternatives.

Conrad Burrell, a Sylva resident who represents this region on the
state Transportation Board, said that recent improvements to N.C. 116,
a proposed connectors road near Southwestern Community College, and the
fact that the road would have so drastically changed Webster were all
deciding factors in the decision.

While this news is welcome, and while Burrell's comments and an
apparent change within DOT are welcome, it will still be hard for those
who have opposed the road to simply stop the fight. The Southern Loop's
history shows that it has resurfaced in the DOT's plans when it was
seemingly on the back burner, and there is not assurance that this
won't happen again.

That said, the Smart Roads Alliance should see this action by DOT as a
wonderful opportunity to work together in planning Jackson County's
transportation future. The DOT, according to Burrell, is sincere about
looking at a laundry list of alternatives to reduce congestion on N.C.
107. Setzer has said the same thing.
Everyone knows the road is a disaster that is only going to get worse.
Smart Roads has invested hundreds of hours in studying options, and the
state still wants to do something between N.C. 107 and U.S. 23-74.

This story isn't over, but there is now a historic opportunity for it
to take a turn that could lead to a better transportation future for
Jackson County. Both sides in this debate need to seize this moment.