It’s official: DOT board scraps western half of Southern Loop

It's official: DOT board scraps western half of Southern Loop
The Sylva Herald
April 10, 2008
By Lynn Hotaling

State transportation officials last week took action that removed one
portion of the proposed Southern Loop from the Transportation
Improvement Plan and changed the status of the remaining segment.
During last Thursday's (April 3) session, N.C. Board of Transportation
members approved changes to the project referred to in the TIP as the
"Sylva-Dillsboro Loop" that reduced the length of the project and
modified the project description.

Initially conceived to stretch from U.S. 23/74 near Blanton Branch to
U.S. 23/441 near Cagle Branch, the proposed roadway was controversial
from the time projected routes were announced in 2003. The "western"
segment's proximity to the town of Webster and the Tuckaseigee River
were flashpoints for the road's opponents, who were led by the
grassroots Smart Roads Coalition.

Last week's action, which came barely a week after local civic leaders
recommended abandoning plans for the U.S. 441/N.C. 107 segment, also
downgrades the description of the remaining portion (U.S. 23/74 to N.C.
107) from "multi-lane freeway" to roadway – a change that will allow
N.C. Department of Transportation staff to explore other roadway
designs.

Former Jackson County Commissioner Conrad Burrell, who represents
Division 14 on the state transportation board, said he thought the
changes to the plan are a step forward.

According to Burrell, recent improvements to N.C. 116 and South River
Road, along with a planned N.C. 116/N.C. 107 connector near
Southwestern Community College, will take care of the traffic from that
direction for "quite some time."

In addition, Burrell said that after looking at the feasibility study
and seeing where the road was projected to go, he and other officials
didn't feel like going through Webster by the river was a good route.

"If it's ever built, it will have to go another route," he said.

With regard to the classification change for the remaining planned road
that will connect 23/74 with 107, Burrell said it will allow the DOT to
"study everything we can." That portion still appears necessary because
there are no connector roads like 116, he said.

First on the DOT agenda will be to get a study of N.C. 107 and any
roads that could be turned into connectors, he said.

"We'll study everything we can about 107 and see what we can do to
reduce congestion," he said, adding that this summer's planned
improvements on Cope Creek Road from 107 to East Cope Creek might help
shift some of the traffic.

Division 14 Engineer Joel Setzer, who said in May 2007 that he
envisioned the 23/74 to 107 connector as a two-lane road on a four-lane
right of way with total access management, also said the state board's
changes are a good thing.

"This will allow DOT to proceed with the project without going through
Webster, which means we don't have to deal with the issues of going
through the town and crossing the river," he said. "We can focus on the
link that will contribute most – I was hoping all along that we could
focus on that one leg."

Webster Mayor Steve Gray (who is also The Sylva Herald's publisher)
said he welcomed the news that his town would be spared the disruption
of a four-lane highway so near its numerous listings on the National
Register of Historic Places. One projected route would have gone right
between two of those – Webster's historic Methodist and Baptist
churches.

"Due to the fact that one of the proposals would have placed a major
highway through or in close proximity to Webster, I'm glad to see it's
no longer under consideration," Gray said.

Smart Roads' Susan Leveille, who represents that group on the Jackson
County Transportation Task Force, expressed guarded optimism with
regard to the transportation board's decision.

"That's good news, but we know things can change," she said. "We know
that things can reappear, but this is definitely a step in the right
direction, and I hope it's permanently off the TIP."

Leveille also expressed a desire to work with transportation officials
to find traffic solutions that are in everyone's best interest.

"I hope this means DOT is interested in public input from citizens, the
task force and Smart Roads," she said. "I hope we can start working
together to come up with wise solutions to our transportation
challenges that don't mean we have to give up our land, rural landscape
and quality of life."

The original project included a multi-lane freeway on new location from
U.S. 23/441 south of Dillsboro to U.S. 23/74.