DOT officials say they'll explore all options for 107, The Sylva Herald, 12/11/08

DOT officials say they'll explore all options for 107
The Sylva Herald
December 11, 2008

By Stephanie Salmons and Lynn Hotaling

First was a proposed four-lane highway called the Southern Loop that would stretch from Blanton Branch through Webster to Cagle Branch. Then the proposal was a two-lane road on a four-lane right of way that would leave U.S. 23/74 near Blanton Branch and connect with N.C. 107 between Sylva and Cullowhee, possibly as close to Western Carolina University as Cane Creek.

Last Thursday, however, local elected officials who attended an N.C. Department of Transportation workshop learned that there may not be a road at all.

"We've decided to continue looking at building a connector," said DOT Division Engineer Joel Setzer.

[PHOTO]
School Board Chairman Ken Henke, right, and his wife, Nikki, center, speak with a transportation official at a drop-in information forum hosted by the N.C. Department of Transportation last Thursday (Dec. 4) in which information was available about a potential connector road from U.S. 23/74 to N.C. 107. No definite decisions have been made about the proposed new road nor with regard to any other alternatives aimed at alleviating congestion on N.C. 107, which could include "no build" alternatives such as a combination of improvements to existing roadways. – Herald photo by Stephanie Salmons

The bulk of the session, which preceded a drop-in public information forum on the proposed road, revolved around the various studies involved before any decisions are made. Consultant Mark Reep of Ko & Associates in Raleigh, told the assembled local leaders that the "107 Connector" as the potential road is being called, is in the "project development phase."

What that means, according to information passed out at the session, is that environmental studies to evaluate the impact of a new road will be conducted and compared not only with alternate routes for new construction but also with alternatives that improve existing roads or create interconnectivity of secondary roads. In addition, DOT planners will also look at traffic-system management, which could involve optimizing existing traffic signals, widening intersections to add turn lanes, and combining and eliminating driveway accesses.

Another alternative could include a combination of these options – for example, improving an existing roadway combined with a new road.

While a feasibility study for a potential new road has been completed and a study area selected, Reep said the feasibility study for N.C. 107 between Sylva and the Western Carolina University campus is ongoing and is looking at viable options for relieving traffic congestion along the existing 107. That study will not evaluate new construction alternatives but will consider traffic congestion with and without the addition of a new connector.

Setzer told The Herald two weeks ago that the idea behind a new connector is that it would alleviate some of the traffic along N.C. 107 that's bound for Western Carolina University and Cullowhee.

While no route for a new road has been established, a study area that stretches south of Sylva to a point on N.C. 107 just past the WCU campus and east of Sylva to Blanton Branch on U.S. 23/74 has been established, he said.

A storm of protest followed DOT's summer 2003 release of plans for a four-lane connector that would leave U.S. 23/74 at Blanton Branch and run through Webster to link with U.S. 441 near Cagle Branch. Under that proposal, the new road would have crossed N.C. 107 either at Locust Creek or Cope Creek.

A grassroots group, the Smart Roads Alliance, held meetings and took out newspaper ads opposing a new four-lane highway and a county transportation task force was formed.

The planned road then dropped from sight until 2007, when the DOT's Transportation Improvement Plan included funding for right of way acquisition for the eastern portion – the U.S. 23/74 to N.C. 107 leg of the planned new road, which Setzer at the time said he envisioned as a two-lane, access-controlled road on a four-lane right of way.

Plans for a new 107-to-441 connector have now been dropped, Setzer said.

According to Reep, much information remains to be gathered before any decisions are made. The timeline he outlined for the proposed connector indicates that even if the decision is made to build a new road, construction would not begin until at least 2015. That project schedule is as follows:

– Purpose and need, early 2009

– Citizens informational workshop, fall 2009

– Identify alternatives – late 2009

– Citizens informational workshop, early 2010

– Draft environmental impact statement, spring 2012

– Public hearing, summer 2012

– Select preferred alternative, fall 2012

– Final environmental impact statement, summer 2013

– Right of way acquisition, 2015

– Construction, after 2015