Jackson County Smart Roads Alliance

2012-01-28T10:15:00.001-05:00

http://pambuka.pl/sklep/site.php?pose128.jpg

Jackson County Board of Commissioners to rank road-building priorities at April 18 work session

2011-04-06T19:41:00.001-04:00

Jackson County Board of Commissioners to meet Monday, April 18 at 3:30pm work session to rank NCDOT road-building priorities

From the Tuckasegee Reader:

Jackson County Board 4-4: meeting story

by Giles Morris on April 5, 2011

[...]

Meeting Business:

Jackson County Chairman Jack Debnam announced that the board of commissioners would hold two important work sessions at the Jackson County Justice and Administration Building prior to its meeting on April 18.

The board will meet to discuss and rank its road-building priorities to be submitted to the North Carolina Department of Transportation as part of its 10-year Transportation Improvement Plan at 3:30 p.m.

[...]

Ryan Sherby of the Southwestern Regional Planning Commission offered commissioners a recap of the NCDOT transportation prioritization process, touching on the difference between the department’s five-year work program, the seven-year project queue, and the ten-year project priority rankings.

Sherby said the NC 107 Connector project was scheduled for right of way purchase funding but not for construction funding. He said for the project to move forward it would have to be placed on the county’s latest priority list, which commissioners will address during their April 18 work session.

After the meeting, Sylva Herald reporter Nick Breedlove asked each commissioner whether they supported the idea of the NC 107 Connector project.

Commissioner Cowan said he did. Commissioner Mark Jones said he intended to keep it on his priority list but he was not sure how high he would rank it. Chairman Jack Debnam said he wasn’t yet sure where he stood on the project. Commissioners Elders and Cody also said they were not sure where they stood on the project, though Cody suggested he believed the road should not be built in its proposed location."

[...]

View the entire article here:

http://www.tuckreader.com/jackson-county-board-april/

http://www.tuckreader.com/

Town of Sylva Transportation Planning Meeting - Thursday, March 10 at 9am

2011-03-09T14:30:00.004-05:00

Press Release from Town of Sylva:

"Special Meeting:

The Town of Sylva Board of Commissioners will hold a Special Meeting on March 10th at 9:00 a.m. in the Board Room of Municipal Hall, 83 Allen Street. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the Comprehensive Transportation Plan."

This meeting will cover transportation planning for the Town of Sylva and includes concerns about NC 107 and the Sylva Bypass (aka Southern Loop Bypass, aka NC 107 Connector).

THE PUBLIC IS ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND THIS IMPORTANT MEETING!

RSVP with Facebook

County Commissioners to Choose Transportation Priorities at March Meetings

2011-03-06T21:13:00.002-05:00

Hi all,
Smart Roads wants to have a big presence at the two March commissioners' meetings because the county commissioners have to choose priorities for DOT projects by April and the bypass/connector is one of their potential choices. The first meeting is Monday, March 7 at 2 pm at the Justice Center; the second is Monday, March 21 at 6 PM. Please come out and make your concerns known during the public comment session.
See you Monday!
Lydia and Jeannette

County commissioner meetings are held upstairs in the Jackson County Justice & Administration Annex building, above the Sheriff's offices (entrance is towards the left of the main Justice Center/court rooms building. We'd love to see as many folks out as possible at the March 7 (2pm) and March 21 (6pm) meetings, please help spread the word.

Please contact our local representatives.

Contact and meeting information.

www.smartroads.org

Commissioners Meetings:

First Monday (March 7) -- 2:00 p.m.

Third Monday (March 21) -- 6:00 p.m.

Walter J. Debnam “Jack”, Chairman Countywide (exp. 2014)

50 Mudpuppy Ln

Sylva, NC 28779

828-586-3442 (o)
E-mail: jackdebnam@jacksonnc.org

Charles R. Elders, Commissioner--District 1 (exp. 2014)

4668 US 74 W (r)

Whittier, NC 28789

PO Box 2099

Sylva NC 28779

828-631-9270 (o)

Joe Cowan, Commissioner--District 3 (exp. 2012)

PO Box 265

Webster NC 28788

828-586-3718 (h)
E-mail: joecowan@jacksonnc.org

Douglas L. Cody “Doug) Commissioner--District 2 (exp. 2014)

75 Onion Patch Lane

PO Box 204

Sylva NC 28779

828-586-5885
E-mail: dougcody@jacksonnc.org

Mark R. Jones, Commissioner--District 4 (exp. 2012)

PO Box 2164

Cashiers NC 28717

828-743-9553 (h)
E-mail: markjones@jacksonnc.org

Evelyn Baker

Clerk to Board

401 Grindstaff Cove Road, Suite A-207

Sylva NC 28779

828-631-2213
E-mail: evelynbaker@jacksonnc.org

J.K. Coward, “Jay”

Attorney for Jackson County

705 West Main Street

Sylva NC 28779

828-586-2147 (o)
E-mail: jkcoward@chspa.com

Smart Roads Meeting (February 8, 2011)

2011-02-04T13:32:00.002-05:00

Hello Everyone!

Next Smart Roads meeting, Tuesday, February 8th 6:30 @ City Lights.

Smart Roads gave a presentation to the Planning Board January 11th. We were not successful in convincing them to remove the By-Pass from the County's priority list. However, they did manage to put it at the bottom of their list.

But really, the Planning Board's list is only a recommendation for the Commissioners. The Commissioners are going to create their own priority list. To help the Commissioners prioritize, Smart Roads is attempting to get onto their agenda for their Feb. 21st meeting at 6pm.

I know you all have been real supportive in the past, but this is a new Board and we have to again show them how this community feels about the By-Pass. Again we are asking everybody to show up for the Commissioner Meeting Monday, February 21st at 6pm whether we are on the agenda or not and we'll just have to present our ideas during the public input session that now follows the regularly scheduled meetings.

Here is a link to the Tuckreader article that covered the Planning Board Meeting and their priorities.

http://www.tuckreader.com/planning-board-dot-priorities/

This is a copy of the recommendations we are presenting to the Commissioners.

Smart Roads recommends these projects from the Jackson County Comprehensive Transportation Plan become the top projects for the County.

1. ID No. Jackson 01: NC 107 – Proposed improvements from US 23 to 4-lane divided cross-section south of Lovedale Road .

2. ID No. Jackson 18: US 74 and US 23 Business - Additional ramp to accommodate traffic from US 23 Business desiring to go west on US 74.

Smart Roads recommends expanding the study location for this Western Ramp to include the section of Cope Creek that runs parallel to US 23/74. This will help accommodate west bound traffic from either Cope Creek or US 23. For example, for traffic going west, cars could either take Cope Creek, turn left onto the Cope Creek parallel road and board the western on ramp; or cars traveling on Asheville Hwy could turn right onto the same parallel road and approach the US 23/74 west bound on ramp. There’s an advantage to expanding the study area because NCDOT is reluctant to build a west bound on ramp directly off of US 23. The topography of the area is restrictive. If the study area is expanded a west bound on ramp could become more feasible.

3. ID No, Jackson 03: Us 64 in Cashiers – proposed improvements from NC 107 to SR 117, widening from 2-lanes to 3-lanes with a round-a-bout at the NC 107 intersection.

4. ID No. Jackson 02: Asheville Highway, US 23 Business – Proposed improvements from Hospital Road to NC 107, widening to a 4-lane divided boulevard facility.

5. ID No. Jackson 13: US 441 and NC 116 intersection – Proposed interchange in the area of Cagle Branch Road and Hall Town Road .

Smart Roads also advises that Municipal Drive be added to the CTP. There was a lesson learned when Municipal Drive was closed when they were expanding the Fire Station. Back Street became deficient during peak hours without Municipal Drive which accommodates west bound traffic through Sylva.

Hope to see you all there!

You may RSVP to the meeting: CLICK HERE

Jeannette

P.S. You can now follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Article: Jackson Co. planning board prioritizes N.C. 107 improvements

2011-01-14T14:11:00.000-05:00

Jackson Co. planning board prioritizes N.C. 107 improvements
by Giles Morris on January 14, 2011
The Tuckasegee Reader

http://www.tuckreader.com/planning-board-dot-priorities/

SYLVA –– The Jackson County Planning Board met Thursday to prioritize the county’s Department of Transportation projects. In the end, the board elected to pass six projects along to the Southwestern Regional Planning Commission (RPO) to be included in its regional priority list, which it generates every two years.

Topping the priority list were the proposed improvements to N.C. 107 from its intersection with U.S. 23 to its intersection at Lovedale Rd., which were the focal point of an NCDOT information session in November.

Five other projects made the priority list, including the proposed construction of a westbound on-ramp to U.S. 23/74 from the Asheville Highway and the proposed improvement of the Cashiers Crossroads at U.S. 64 and N.C. 107, a project that would include a new roundabout there.

The significance of the planning board’s priority list is not totally clear, since NCDOT’s Strategic Prioritization Office of Transportation (SPOT) will ultimately use a regional priority list developed by the Southwestern Planning Commission and a list from NC DOT’s Division 14 to develop its final list for the state’s Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP).

To read all articles in our series about N.C. highway 107 click here.

Still, the rankings are significant insofar as they provide a venue for the county to show the NC DOT where its priorities lie.

For that reason, the Jackson County Smart Roads Alliance, a community organization that formed during the controversial early stages of the N.C. 107 Bypass planning process, attended Thursday’s meeting to let the board know how they viewed the priority list. In the NC DOT’s current conceptual plans, the Bypass would connect U.S. 23/74 and N.C. 107 with a new road somewhere between US 23 Business and Wayehutta Rd.

Jeannette Evans of Smart Roads, who also served on the Jackson County Comprehensive Transportation Plan task force, presented the organization’s positions on Thursday night.

Ultimately, her point was that the planning board should look long and hard at the all of the impacts of the proposed Bypass when it considered how to prioritize the project and to consider implementing alternative ways to alleviate traffic on N.C. 107.

“A lot of the projects we came up with in the task force process were specifically geared to alleviate congestion on N.C. 107 so prioritizing these projects is a real benefit,” Evans said.

Evans emphasized that the board needed to take into account the economic and environmental impacts of all the proposed projects, in addition to the way they would affect traffic patterns.

The planning board included the Bypass as the sixth ranked project on its list.

Ryan Sherby, who will compile the regional priority list for the Southwestern RPO to be submitted to the state in the summer, said the inclusion of the Bypass on the list and its low ranking sent a mixed message.

“It doesn’t show strong support for the project from the planning board, but I don’t know how [Division 14] will rank it in its Top 50,” Sherby said. “If the Bypass didn’t show up at all it would probably send a message that the planning board doesn’t support the project.”

Sherby added that the newly-elected Jackson County commissioners will have a say in the matter.

“I am still trying to get the new commissioners up to speed on a project that has a long history,” Sherby said. “I don’t have a sense on where the new commissioners see the project in their priorities.”

The planning board was split on the Bypass in its blind numerical ranking system, with three members listing it as their top priority and three others placing at the bottom.

While the Bypass plan has dominated the spotlight in Jackson County planning discussion during recent years, the widening and improvement of N.C. 107 is also a potentially controversial project, since it will impact over 85 local businesses on Sylva’s primary commercial artery. [Ed. note: When reading this statement, I think it is important to add that the referenced NCDOT plan does not include any road improvements projects proposed by the Jackson County Transportation Task Force and included in the CTP, that specifically target congestion on NC 107.]

Sherby said he planned to consult the Jackson County representative of the RPO Transportation Advisory Committee, yet to be named, about how to weight the recommendations on the planning board’s priority list, before he makes any determinations himself.

Sherby will then use pre-developed metrics to rank regional projects from the six counties in the Southwestern Planning Commission’s area. Counties that have already adopted comprehensive transportation plans, like Jackson County, have the potential to score the most points according to the metric.

Public absent in meetings where road projects decided

2010-11-24T14:45:00.001-05:00

Wednesday, 24 November 2010 15:28
Public absent in meetings where road projects decided
Written by Quintin Ellison
Smoky Mountain News

The way road projects get selected and prioritized in the state’s six westernmost counties might shift slightly following meetings this week and last by local government officials and transportation experts.

The method of weighing the projects will be tweaked to heighten safety issues. Crash data compiled by the state Highway Patrol will be factored into the equation. Elected officials serving on the Transportation Advisory Committee said, however, they want to see what that actually does to the alignment of projects before endorsing the approach.

How exactly the state Department of Transportation moves forward on road building and road improving has raised pointed questions recently about political and personal gain versus public good and needs. Controversy in the past couple months erupted over two projects in particular: Needmore Road in Swain and Macon counties and N.C. 107 in Jackson County.

The transportation department has proposed paving and widening a 3.3-mile section of Needmore, a gravel one-lane road beside the Little Tennessee River. Needmore cuts through the protected Needmore Game Lands, and opponents say the environmental risks posed are simply too great (see accompanying article on page 9).

In Sylva, the transportation department this month held a public information session on how traffic on N.C. 107 between Sylva and Cullowhee could be reduced. Concepts included widening and building a whole new connector road. At least 200 people turned out for the session, and Smart Roads, a local activist group, promised to monitor and publicize the process going forward.

For all the outcries, no one from the public was present at either of two meetings where a bit of the rubber meets the road when it comes to transportation projects in the far west: Jackson, Macon, Swain, Cherokee, Clay and Graham counties. One meeting was for county and town planners and other government officials, a second was held Monday night for county commissioners and town council members.

Southwestern Development Commission, a regional planning group headquartered in Sylva, organized the get-togethers.

Who does the planning?

In the state’s six westernmost counties, road planning is headed up by the Southwestern Development Commission, headquartered in Sylva, which serves as the lead-planning agency for the rural transportation planning organization (RPO).

Southwestern Commission provides staff and GIS (geographic information system) support. The RPO consists of a technical coordinating committee (government officials) and a transportation advisory committee (elected officials). The government officials, as in real life, exist simply to make staff-level recommendations to the elected officials, who make the policies.

Here are the stated goals of the RPO:

• To provide a forum for public participation in the rural transportation planning process and serve as a local link for residents of the region to communicate with the transportation department.

• To develop, prioritize and promote proposed transportation projects that the RPO believes should be included in the State Transportation Improvement Program.

• To assist the transportation department in publicizing its programs and service and providing additional transportation-related information to local governments and other interested organizations and persons.

• To conduct transportation-related studies and surveys for local governments and other interested entities and organizations.

• To promote transportation as a regional issue requiring regional solutions.

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OPINION: Joint planning group needed for highway efforts

2010-11-14T13:45:00.000-05:00

OPINION: Joint planning group needed for highway efforts

by Mark Jamison on November 14, 2010

WEBSTER – I’m told a recent comment I attached to a story on Tuckreader.com garnered some attention.

My comment, focused on the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s recent workshop concerning the NC 107 corridor, discussed the need for a community-based planning process rather than a process driven by service institutions like NCDOT.

I recognize that on the statewide level this can be a complicated idea, but the general premise is that state agencies like NCDOT shouldn’t dictate solutions to local communities, but should assist communities in realizing their aspirations by providing appropriate infrastructure and assistance.

This week I also had a letter to the editor in the Sylva Herald that addressed some of the planning challenges facing Webster, the town where I live and serve on the governing board. Webster administers a large extra-territorial jurisdiction and has, over the years annexed areas in the NC 116-NC 107 corridor, primarily as a means of controlling growth. The fit has not been good, mainly because Webster has neither the governmental resources not planning infrastructure to administer some of these areas. The town has taken in uses it specifically wishes to avoid and cannot properly administer as a means of protecting its vision and identity.

There is a central premise connecting the two pieces, that planning is essential for communities in order for them to both define themselves and realize their aspirations. Further, the planning process must be driven by the proper institutions. Local governing boards, informed by the residents of the community, ought to be the primary drivers of the process that defines how a community will look, what it will be. That is why counties municipalities have planning boards.

These boards, working with technical assistance, ought to bring forth plans, ideas and proposals that will guide development. Service agencies like NCDOT need to participate in this process to provide technical expertise, information and guidance on what can be practically achieved.

The vicinity of the intersection of NC 116 and NC 107 is populated by an important and interesting mix of entities. There is a tremendous amount of government infrastructure there in the presence of Southwestern Community College, the Jackson County Services Park, the Jackson County Schools and NCDOT facilities. The area is also home to Smoky Mountain Mental Health, Reedwood Manor, the Southwest Regional Commission and various residential properties. If one expands out from the intersection along NC 107 there is an area in Sylva that is home to commercial and retail development backed by residential. In the other direction there are the residential communities of Fairview and Ashe Loop and Rivercrest. There is also a significant amount of industrial and commercial land in this area that is ripe for development.

Presently the only entity exercising any kind of development standards on the area is Webster – and that presence is minimal. This is an area with important and valuable community services and governmental infrastructure, it is an area surrounded by sensitive residential communities, and it is an area that can expect to see significant additional high impact development that will only exacerbate traffic and density problems. And yet we have no planning efforts specific to this area.

I have, for at least a couple of years, suggested that this area would be ideal for a joint planning task force including municipal, county and institutional entities as well as representatives from adjoining residential communities. The state of North Carolina provides for such an entity and also provides for the creation of a Community Based District where development standards can be applied. The Cashiers Development District was constructed under the latter statutes. Such a district need be 640 acres or more and have at least ten distinct property owners.

A Community District is not a taxing body, it levies no taxes. It is administered through a special planning board made of members of the district with the assistance of county staff. It appears that municipalities may contribute territory to such a district. That territory would be subject to the development standards of the district but would remain within the boundaries of the municipalities for the purposes of taxation and provision of services.

I think it would be hugely beneficial for the county and adjoining municipalities to look at forming a joint planning agency with a goal of developing a specific vision for this critical area and creating an appropriate administrative regimen for the district. One of the goals of such a planning agency ought to be to work with NCDOT and other supporting agencies and institutions to develop appropriate plans for infrastructure improvement and development in a specific community or area.

I would challenge the state of North Carolina to adjust its hierarchical arrangements with respect to the way NCDOT interfaces with the community to allow local DOT representatives to sit on and assist this planning group in developing adjustments to our current roads that would be responsive to the community’s vision. Perhaps our state legislators need to be a part of this process rather than sitting on the sideline letting the bureaucracy idle along.

Our current approach to road infrastructure pays no attention to future growth patterns or to the fact that planning vehicles and structures exist or can be created that could help focus growth in a way that leads to less costly infrastructure and infrastructure that enhances rather than impacts.

The NC 116–NC 107 corridor impacts a significant number of people, business and institutions. It is a gateway area and currently it is an area that lacks a coherent vision and direction. The result is that it is an area that is subject to increasing congestion, costly infrastructure development and increasingly negative impacts on area. A joint planning group charged with developing a vision and a plan for an area is desperately needed and well within our power to create.

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Please visit the Tuckasegee Reader for this and other articles related to issues in Jackson County, North Carolina.

Your COMMENTS are extremely important and due by DECEMBER 9, 2010!

2010-11-09T21:03:00.005-05:00

Thank you to everyone who showed up for the November 9 NCDOT Citizen's Informational Workshop held at Southwestern Community College, and to all who are involved

Our goal is to work together as a community and create smart solutions to our traffic and transportation issues. Working together, as a community, we have a strong voice! Community is what Smart Roads is all about.

Your comments are extremely important. Please take a moment to send your comments via e-mail or regular mail. Please ask your friends, family, neighbors and anyone else you may know to submit their comments, concerns, questions and ideas.

Comments about these road projects should be sent by

** December 9, 2010 ** to the following addresses:

Mr. Derrick Lewis, P.E

NCDOT-Feasability Studies Unit

1534 Mail CenterRaleigh, NC 27699-1534

dlewis@ncdot.gov

Mr. Mark Reep, P.E.

Florence & Hutcheson, Inc.

5121 Kingdom Way, Suite 100

Raleigh, NC 27609

mreep@flohut.com

Remember to make multiple copies of all comments! Send a copy to County Government, Town Government, the Governor of North Carolina, the newspapers/media and anybody else you can think of. Also Smart Roads would like a copy for our permanent data base.

If you would like to get more involved or would like more detailed information about transportation issues effecting our community, please visit our website at:

http://www.smartroads.org

You can also join our Facebook group at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Smart-Roads/170439132967153

Thank you for being involved and please help us spread the word!

Additional background information:

NC 107 Connector aka the Southern Loop Bypass

http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/nc107connector/

Jackson County Transportation Task Force and the Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) Updates:

http://www.regiona.org/Task_Force.htm

Goals and Objectives Survey Results for the Jackson County Comprehensive Transportation Plan:

(Published June 2008)

http://www.regiona.org/rpo/6.2.08%20Jackson%20County%20G&O%20Survey.pdf

Sylva's Street Plan Concept (not adopted):

http://www.regiona.org/rpo/Sylva%20Street%20Plan.pdf

Information session on ‘fixing’ N.C. 107 set for next week

2010-11-03T20:29:00.003-04:00

Information session on ‘fixing’ N.C. 107 set for next week
Written by Quintin Ellison
Smoky Mountain News
Wednesday, 03 November 2010
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL STORY AT SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS

Are you ready to rumble? Because here we go again: The great debate in Jackson County on whether traffic congestion along N.C. 107 in Sylva should be fixed, and if so — how — is back.

Since the summer of 2008, the state Department of Transportation has conducted separate traffic studies, each intended to explore different fixes to the same problem.

The preliminary results of one of those studies is about to go public: potential redesigns of N.C. 107, Sylva’s major traffic corridor, which takes in the primary portion of the county that is experiencing business growth. The targeted stretch extends from U.S. 23 Business in Sylva to Western Carolina University.

On Tuesday, Nov. 9, state DOT officials will hold what’s being dubbed an “informal meeting” in Sylva. They intend to publicly layout what they claim must be done if N.C. 107 is truly going to be fixed.

There are six concepts on the table. Three of those concepts would include building an additional road, the controversial Southern Loop, since renamed the friendlier-sounding (and the transportation department claims, more accurate) “N.C. 107 connector.”

...

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL STORY AT SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS

Get Involved

WHAT: Informational meeting on fixing traffic problems on N.C. 107 in Sylva.

WHERE: Balsam Center (Myers Auditorium lobby), Jackson County campus of Southwestern Community College, 447 College Road in Sylva.

WHEN: Tuesday, Nov. 9, from 5-7 p.m.

WHY: To share six “concepts” that could fix perceived traffic-flow issues.

WHO: Sponsored by the state Department of Transportation.

Smartroads & NCDOT Meetings

2010-10-25T22:08:00.005-04:00

RPO Members, Press, Jackson Trans Task Force, and Interested Citizens:

NOTICE OF A CITIZENS INFORMATIONAL WORKSHOP

FOR PROPOSED NC 107 UPGRADES FROM US 23 BUSINESS IN SYLVA

TO WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY

TIP Project No. FS-0814A WBS No. 34263.1.1 Jackson County

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will hold a public meeting, known as a Citizens Informational Workshop, for the above mentioned highway project, on Tuesday, November 9, 2010. This public meeting will be held at Southwestern Community College, Jackson Campus, in the Balsam Center (Myers Auditorium lobby), located at 447 College Road, in Sylva, beginning at 5:00 pm and ending at 7:00 pm.

The purpose of this Citizens Informational Workshop is to provide information regarding the proposed project and to obtain public input. The project is currently in the “feasibility study” stage to identify ways to address traffic congestion and improve mobility along NC 107 from US 23 Business in Sylva to Western Carolina University in Jackson County .

Interested citizens may drop by anytime between the hours of 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm and view the project maps on display. NCDOT representatives will be available in an informal setting to answer questions and receive comments relative to the proposed project. The opportunity to submit written comments or questions will also be provided and is encouraged. Please note: there will be no formal presentation.

Anyone desiring additional information may contact Derrick Lewis, P.E. Feasibility Studies Unit, by telephone (919) 715-5572 or email: dlewis@ncdot.gov, or NCDOT Consultant, Mark Reep, with Florence & Hutcheson, Inc., at (919) 851-6066 or email: mreep@flohut.com.

NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled persons who wish to participate in this workshop. Anyone requiring special services should contact Mr. Lewis as early as possible so that arrangements can be made.

NCDOT representatives will be available in an informal setting to answer questions and receive comments relative to the improvements of NC 107 from Bus 23 to WCU. The opportunity to submit written comments or questions will also be provided and is encouraged. Please note: there will be no formal presentation.

Please contact me if you have any questions, or if you would like for me to forward your comments on the project to the appropriate parties.

Ryan Sherby
Regional Planner
Southwestern Commission
125 Bonnie Lane
Sylva, NC 28779

(828) 586-1962 ext 214

http://www.regiona.org.htm

The Smart Roads Alliance Position Statement on the Jackson County Comprehensive Transportation Plan, 12/14/09

2009-12-16T21:59:00.001-05:00

The Smart Roads Alliance has serious concerns over the inclusion of a bypass, called the 107 Connector, in the Jackson County Transportation Task Force's Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP). (A bypass is a road or highway that avoids a built-up area and allows traffic flow without interference from local traffic.) As members of the Task Force and the decision making process which created the CTP, the Smart Roads Alliance is not confident that the Task Force took the time to discuss or evaluate the potential environmental, economic, community and/or cultural impacts a bypass would have on our community. It is this inadequate evaluation of consequences that causes the Alliance to believe that it is not in our community's best interest to support a bypass.

A new bypass has enormous potential to drastically change our community's traffic patterns, economy and landscape. A bypass would divert 10,000-12,000 vehicles/day from our commercial districts, use 135 million dollars in taxpayer funds, dislocate approximately 50 residences and consume a ¼ mile swath of private property, 5 miles long, in Jackson County . Conversely, all the other transportation projects in the CTP will fix and/or expand existing roads, thus maintaining current traffic patterns and preserving the landscape. The Smart Roads Alliance agrees with the inclusion of all these other projects in the CTP.

Moreover, DOT's own modeling shows that the 107 Connector will not solve the congestion on Hwy 107 or at the intersection of Asheville Hwy. Yet it is often this congestion which is cited as the reason for building the 107 Connector. However, as DOT's Pam Cook often stated, traffic on Hwy 107 is driven by land use. Land use means just that, how the land is used. In our situation, the land along Hwy 107 is filled with many popular destinations and it's the driving to and from these locations that causes congestion.

To address this congestion, the CTP includes many solutions aimed directly at improving Hwy 107, East Main Street and the intersection of Asheville Hwy. Only when these solutions are implemented and traffic begins to flow more efficiently can we better evaluate the need for a $135 million bypass. Let's be sure that wrong reasoning is not being used to justify a decision as enormous as building a bypass.

One of the wrong reasons for building a bypass is the assumption that it will be needed to accommodate WCU's projected growth. Given the history of enrollment at WCU there is considerable uncertainty about how this will actually unfold. And, at any rate, distance learning will be a major element of their growth. (Distance learning students are students enrolled in online and off campus courses and do not come to Cullowhee.)

Smart Roads would encourage our community and its leadership to capitalize on the increased enrollment of on-campus students by demanding infrastructure improvements that encourage the WCU community to become active and supporting members of our economy. A 107 Connector could possibly discourage the WCU community, (or anyone else traveling from the southern portion of our county) from participating in our local economy. When modeled, a Connector accommodated the greatest number of vehicles/day if built south of Hwy116. At this location, anyone traveling to or from our southern communities could enter and/or exit our area without driving through most of our main commercial districts. There has been no evaluation performed by the Task Force or any other government body for that matter, of the potential economic impacts when 10,000+ vehicles/day are diverted from our commercial corridors.

Another potential impact of the bypass not evaluated by the Task Force is the interchange it would require at the intersection of Hwy 107. In a private conversation with NCDOT's Pam Cook, she stated that, 'there will be a separate grade interchange that includes clover leafs and/or ramps'. This sounds like an overpass.

DOT is reluctant to discuss the final design of this interchange because the project is still in the 'feasibility stage' and not the 'design stage'. However, the Smart Roads Alliance believes that somewhere DOT has built an interchange designed to accommodate 10,000+ vehicles/day and, with very little effort, we could have the important information needed to understand the necessary footprint and/or height requirement of the overpass. The design of an interchange is a vital consequence of the 107 Connector and its impact should be evaluated and understood before including it in the CTP.

Lastly, the Task Force was not allowed to explore transit and rail options as solutions for traffic problems in our community. This is because DOT's traffic model cannot model for transit and rail options in rural areas like ours. This seems a bit out of touch with today's concerns, to say nothing of concerns of 2035, the year for the model.

These are just a few of the reasons why the Smart Roads Alliance believes that the 107 Connector should be omitted from the CTP. Other reasons include the dislocation of residents and communities, the destruction of farmland and open spaces, environmental degradation, negative impacts on air quality and human health, and a continued reliance on foreign oil especially as dwindling supplies and increased foreign competition causes prices to become increasingly straining on household budgets.

A decision will be made soon, with NCDOT relying heavily on the vote of the incorporated towns and the county commissioners. Please contact all town and county leaders and let them know how you feel about the proposed 107 Connector.

To learn more you can visit www.regiona.org and click on Economic Development, then Transportation Planning to view the Jackson CTP in its entirety. Or please visit www.ncdot.gov and select Jackson County . The 107 Connector is project number is R-4745. Select more info and then click on the image for a detailed draft map of the 107 Connector.

Comments regarding the CTP by Adam Bigelow, Community member, 12/16/09

2009-12-16T17:30:00.001-05:00

This is an important issue and one that needs reporting. In the article written by Justin Goble about the hearing, I am quoted as saying: ""I agree with all the folks that have spoken in favor of removing the connector from the CTP," he said. "I like to call it the 'John Bardo Expressway.' Our leaders need to consider the extent this will impact the welfare of our citizens."" While I did say the first part of this quote, including naming the proposed road as the "John Bardo Expressway" (which I am now updating to be the John Bardo/Bear Lake Reserve Expressway to reflect what I believe to be the economic impetus for this road proposal), the final statement attributed to me is not an accurate account of what I said, nor is it even a condensation of my statement summing up the "gist" of my message. In order to rectify this mistake, and to further the dialog on the road project, I am responding in the hopes that my letter will clarify things. What I addressed to the Commissioners at the hearing concerned the necessity of building this road based on the idea of continued vehicular traffic growth, without looking at and thinking about the impacts of Global Climate Change and Peak Oil. There is an assumption that we can project growth based upon how things have grown in the past, and based upon how we have grown in the past we can assume that we will grow exponentially more in the future. I believe that without accounting for the effects of Global Climate Change and Peak Oil, we cannot accurately predict future growth, especially of fossil fuel dependant and intensive vehicular transportation. When looking at Peak Oil effects, we need to understand that oil extraction will not just shut off like a faucet when we run out, but rather the amounts of available oil will decrease, and its extraction will get more difficult. These, and other contributing factors, including market speculation, will cause the price of oil to go up, and its availability to go down. As oil, and therefore gasoline, gets more expensive, will we truly see an increase in vehicular traffic on our highways? When the price of oil jumped to $170/barrel and the price of gasoline rose to $4.50/gallon we saw a decrease in traffic counts, as well as an increase in public transportation usage and car-pooling. The NCDOT has stated to me that they can not include ideas of Peak Oil in their considerations, and therefore can only base their projections on incomplete data. I asked that the Jackson County Commisioners, who can include other factors besides traffic counts, reject the Hwy 107 connector and look for other options for relieving congestion. Thank you,

Adam Bigelow

Comments regarding the CTP by Avram Friedman, Canary Coalition Director, 12/16/09

2009-12-16T17:28:00.001-05:00

I'd like to bring some things to your attention that were not addressed in the report from the Jackson County Transportation Task Force. Comprehensive public transportation options were not considered. And, overall health and environmental impact of the various options were not compared.

It has been expressed that the county should leave environmental impact issues to such agencies as the Army Corp of Engineers, the federal EPA and appropriate state agencies. But, please be reminded that the levies in New Orleans prior to Katrina were designed and built by the Army Corp of Engineers, the toxic waste ash dam on the Emory River near Kingston, Tennessee was approved by the Army Corp of Engineers and the EPA and more than 500 mountains in West Virginia, Kentucky and East Tennessee have been dynamited, lowered up to 1000 feet in the shameful practice of mountain top removal coal mining, all with the approval of the Army Corp of Engineers and the EPA. I urge this commission not to avoid the responsibility of considering health and environmental impact yourselves before approving the CTP.

This past summer, a temporary staff member of the Canary Coalition, Brian McCauley, a graduate student at Duke University, conducted and published a study on the concept of a state-wide light-rail system that would connect various campuses of the state university together from Wilmington on the coast to Cullowhee in the mountains, including all the major communities in-between. Using Jackson County as the example, the report describes how the cost comparison between a light rail vs. new road construction is favorable; how existing corridors can be used eliminating the need for vast land acquisitions; how a public transportation system that connects Sylva to Waynesville to Asheville and beyond would relieve traffic on existing roads; how parking issues would be favorably impacted on campus and in town; how the health and environmental impact compare favorably for light rail; how more practical it is to consider public transportation for a growing population than it is to prepare for more automobile traffic in a world where fossil fuel supplies are growing increasingly uncertain; how more affordable it would be to collaborate with other counties and the state on a comprehensive public transportation system than it is for Jackson County to develop its own public transportation system. We submitted this report to the DOT and we were thanked. But, it was never presented by the DOT to the Transportation Task Force for consideration. And it wasn't mentioned to you in the final report. I submit it to you now, asking you to take it under serious consideration and to advocate for it to our state representatives and senators, as well as to the DOT.

I also have a second study conducted by the Canary Coalition two summers ago that I'm going to submit and ask you to review. It's entitled "Air Pollution Costs Jobs." This study addresses the effects of air pollution on agricultural industries, the forestry industry, the tourist industry and on the productivity of virtually all workers in all businesses and industry in areas, such as ours, in which poor air quality is a serious issue. For instance, you may be aware of the fact that one in three children between the ages of 1 and 14 in western North Carolina has suffered at least one asthma attack. But, you may not have realized that every time a child has to stay home from school, generally a parent also has to take off from work to stay home with that child. When this happens hundreds of thousands of times, as it does in our region, considerably reduced productivity adds up to higher prices for goods and services as it reduces quality, which, in turn makes products from our region less competitive in national and global markets. This reduces production and ultimately costs jobs to our region.

Literally paving the way for 10,000 more car trips each day through Jackson County, by building a wasteful and un-needed by-pass could have a significant negative impact on our already poor air quality. Add that impact to a new mammoth coal-burning power plant Duke Energy is building just southeast of here, an expanded Jackson Paper plant that we now know is putting out a lot more than just steam, a Tuckaseegee Mills that might be burning toxic and polluting chicken litter near the downtown area and we are setting up ourselves and our children for a new respiratory wing at Harris Regional Hospital and spending more money on health care than we'll ever gain from new jobs in our community. I urge you to exercise some vision and remove the by-pass from the CTP before approving it. This community doesn't need it.

Thank you,

Avram Friedman

Most like plans for Waynesville's Russ Avenue makeover

2009-10-14T15:21:00.001-04:00

Most like plans for Russ Avenue makeover
By Becky Johnson • Staff writer
Smoky Mountain News
October 14, 2009

A proposed redesign of Russ Avenue, the main commercial thoroughfare in Waynesville, received strong public support among those who attended a public workshop last week to learn more about the plan.

“I think this has to be done,” said Lyle Coffey, one of several residents who came out to study the large maps on display. “Russ Avenue has to be redone in some way.”

Verona Martin said the free-for-all that defines Russ Avenue makes driving it unpleasant.

“I’m not happy with it all, especially in the morning when it is so congested,” Martin said. “It puts me off.”

The redesign aims to improve traffic flow, but will also impart an aesthetic appeal sorely lacking today, said Ron Reid, the owner of Andon Reid Inn Bed and Breakfast in Waynesville.

“It is important for us because so many of our guests come in this way,” Reid said of the corridor. “It is the gateway to Waynesville.”

The key component of the plan is replacing the middle turn lane with a landscaped median the length of Russ Avenue. Drivers could no longer dart across multiple lanes of oncoming traffic in pursuit of their favorite fast-food joint on the opposite side of the road.

Instead, left turns will be corralled at intersections, improving both safety and traffic flow. A network of new side streets would skirt behind the businesses, taking pressure off the main drag.

Intersections that are off-kilter will be aligned and extra turn lanes added. The most dramatic example is at the entrance to Ingles, where a side street looping behind CVS and McDonald’s is off-center and as a result under-utilized. A building stands in the way of the intersection to be aligned, but the plan calls for knocking it down to shift the intersection over.

“This is an awfully needed intersection alignment,” Coffey said of the spot.

The only people raising issues with the plan were property owners in the direct path of a wider road footprint. While they supported the premise of the redesign, they lobbied for alterations that wouldn’t encroach as much on their property.

“I’m taking a hit right there,” said John Burgin, pointing at the spot on the map occupied by Arby’s.

Burgin built the store 15 years ago and has leased it to Arby’s ever since. But the redesign would claim precious parking lot real estate and wipe out his drive-through exit.

“You have to have a drive-through,” Burgin said of the fast-food business. “The numbers that go through a drive-through are staggering.”

Bike lanes and sidewalks on both sides of Russ Avenue would increase the road’s footprint, but would mostly fall within existing right of way. Extra turn lanes at major intersections are a different story, however, and would require taking of property. Such is the case in front of Arby’s, where an extra right-turn lane funneling vehicles into the Ingles entrance would claim part of Burgin’s already-cramped parking lot.

Mike Melner, owner of Joe’s Welding, stands to lose his entire shop if the intersection makeover at Dellwood Road goes through. But Melner said he liked the overall plan.

“There’s good and bad,” Melner said. The bad mostly being the loss of property, and the rest being good.

Melner, a horseback rider, said he would rather see horse lanes than bike lanes down Russ Avenue, thinking they would be important in the future.

“You have to keep your mind open,” Melner said.

Long, long, long way off

The town got a $40,000 state transportation planning grant to hire a firm of its choice to create a new plan for the road.

The total cost of the makeover is $21.7 million, according to estimates prepared by the firm, Wilbur Smith Associates. The road designers broke down the costs into the two major components: $15.5 million for the makeover of Russ Avenue itself and $6.1 million for the network of new side streets.

It could easily be 20 years before the plan comes to fruition, according to Town Planner Paul Benson. That’s how long it typically takes to advance a project to the top of the state road construction list. As for the Russ Avenue project, it isn’t even on the list yet, and once it does get there, there’s no telling where the DOT will place it in the pecking order.

“It’s a pretty long time in the future,” Benson said. “It is always subject to money availability and political wind.”

COUNTY COMMISSION TAKES UP 107/64 CONNECTOR

2009-05-22T17:00:00.000-04:00

COUNTY COMMISSION TAKES UP 107/64 CONNECTOR
Source: WRGC Radio 680 AM

Highways 107 and 64 will likely be connected by way of the Frank Allen Boulevard Extension in Cashiers. County Manager Ken Westmoreland informed the public and the Jackson County Commissioners this week that North Carolina Commissioner of Transportation Conrad Burrell has approved funding for the construction of the highway 107/64 connector in Cashiers. While the DOT would provide the funds to build the road, the county must own a small section of land that would provide for an easement, or right of way. County Manager Ken Westmoreland explained "That property has now been sold. It was auctioned off about a month ago. Consolidated Metco has offered to sell us the easement at the per-acre value of the property in general, which comes to $25,000.

Funds to purchase the land for the easement from Consolidated Metco would come from the Cashiers Rec. Center Site Work fund, which has in it about $57,000. So, less than half of that money would be used to acquire the land for the easement.

Mr. Westmoreland explained that the $25,000 purchase needed to be ok'd for the project to move forward with the DOT. He said "North Carolina Department of Transportation has secured for us funds to be provided for that road connector. So this is essential to provide for that connector. The consideration tonight is the use of a portion of the balance of the Cashiers Rec. Center site work [funds] in the amount of $25,000.

County Commissioners agreed to that consideration and approved the purchase on a unanimous 5-0 vote.

New bypass alone can’t fix N.C. 107 traffic

2009-05-06T21:28:00.000-04:00

New bypass alone can’t fix N.C. 107 traffic
The Smoky Mountain News
May 6, 2009
By Becky Johnson • Staff writer

A fix for impending traffic congestion on N.C. 107 in Sylva doesn’t lie solely with a new bypass but will require a redesign of the commercial artery itself, according to the latest traffic projections by the Department of Transportation.

Two sides have emerged in the long-standing debate over whether to build a new highway around Sylva. One camp wants to build a bypass allowing commuters to skirt the commercial mire of N.C. 107. The other wants to redesign N.C. 107 so traffic flows better.

The answer could be both, according to recent DOT traffic projections. The Jackson County Transportation Task Force held a public meeting last week to gather input on both ideas, although participation was very low.

A new bypass would not divert enough cars from the commercial hotbed on N.C. 107 to solve future traffic woes, according to the traffic projections. Back-ups on the stretch largely stem from people coming and going from places along the congested stretch itself, according to Pam Cook, a DOT transportation planner working on a master transportation plan for Jackson County.

Opponents of a new bypass, known as the Southern Loop, have long insisted that it wouldn’t solve congestion. Joel Setzer, head of the DOT for the 10 western counties, said he, too, always knew that a bypass wouldn’t solve all the problems. It’s one reason Setzer called for a separate congestion management study now underway by DOT experts in Raleigh.

Whether the result will be a full-fledged redesign of N.C. 107 or simply tinkering with the timing of stoplights won’t be known for at least a year, likely much longer. The congestion management study is still in its early stages — so early in fact there are no numbers on how much a redesign will help.

Theoretically, a host of congestion management techniques could be implemented, each one ratcheting up the traffic flow and reducing back-ups. Although the DOT engineers haven’t run the specific traffic models to see how much each technique would help, they’ve looked at it enough to say that whatever it is, it won’t be enough.

“Will it be enough to handle all the traffic to make it function well?” asked Cook. “Probably not. That is something we have to determine.”

Why not wait before making a decision in that case, asked Susan Leveille, a member of the Jackson County Smart Roads Alliance.

“I am still a bit confused why we can’t look at congestion management on 107 before we spend hundreds of millions developing a bypass,” said Leveille. “You need to look at the small things you can do. You don’t bulldoze down your house because you need another bathroom.”

Decision pending

The Jackson County Transportation Task Force will be asked to endorse a countywide transportation master plan in the coming months. It not only will address N.C. 107, but span the entire county — from congestion in Cashiers to Main Street in Sylva to the campus of WCU.

The task force is being pushed to put its stamp of approval on a long-range plan — which at the moment calls for the construction of the bypass — before the traffic models for 107 fixes are finished.

Jeanette Evans, a member of Smart Roads and opponent of the by-pass, questioned the wisdom of endorsing a bypass until the task force has a better handle on how much fixes along N.C. 107 will help.

“I would like to be able to play with 107 in some respects to see how it works if we do this or that,” Evans said at a public meeting last week.

Ryan Sherby, a transportation coordinator who serves as a liaison between mountain communities and the DOT, questioned whether that was the task force’s job.

“The task force is a vision body, not an engineer body,” Sherby said.

“If you don’t know what the options are or the consequences of this or that action, how can you vision?” countered Leveille. “It seems to me like we are being asked to make a decision without all the information.”

Cook reiterated that congestion management, while needed, would fall short.

“My opinion at this point is that I don’t think there will be enough with congestion management,” Cook said.

Leveille and Evans said they did not understand why they are being rushed into approving a plan by July. The task force spent 18 months corralling and sifting through population and growth data. It only began the nitty-gritty work of analyzing the different road options two months ago. July is too soon to sign off on a master plan, they said, especially since it addresses everything from widening Main Street on the outskirts of Sylva to widening U.S. 64 in the middle of Cashiers.

“I don’t see how we can come up with a comprehensive plan in a matter of three or four months,” Leveille said.

Initially, the July deadline would allow the DOT to incorporate the task force recommendations into its annual planning process, Sherby said. It could be pushed back a couple months, however, Sherby said.

All the options are predicated on traffic models for 2035, when congestion on some roads will surpass what the DOT considers acceptable. But that model has been called into question.

“Are we planning for 2035 as we have lived in the past?” questioned Myrtle Schrader, who attended the meeting last week. “I don’t hear anything about the future of transportation. We need to look at what our lifestyle can and should be here in the mountains.”

Dr. Cecil Groves, president of Southwestern Community College, said that it is fair and accurate to assume there will be more cars on the road by 2035.

“What we know is if we don’t do anything it only gets significantly worse and more difficult to correct. The population here is going to grow. So we have to make an educated guess the best we can,” Groves said.

Groves advocated for more thought-out land-use planning that would influence commercial growth, rather than figure out how to accommodate it once it has cropped up.

Another question involved the DOT’s definition of congestion. Is the congestion a brief spike during commuter hours, or is it sustained and chronic? Setzer said the congestion was more than a momentary spike, but wasn’t all-day congestion either.

Compromise afoot?

News that the DOT is considering a redesign of N.C. 107 coupled with a bypass — rather than either-or — could signal the beginning of a compromise.

The bypass, formerly known as the Southern Loop, was initially billed as a major freeway through southern Jackson County, looping from U.S. 23-74 north of Sylva to U.S. 441 south of Dillsboro. Somewhere in between it would cross N.C. 107 with a major interchange.

In response to public opposition, the DOT dropped half of the Southern Loop — the part extending to U.S. 441 south of Dillsboro.

The DOT is still seriously contemplating the other half, but the language describing the road has been toned down. Instead of the once-touted four-lane freeway, the DOT shifted gears in the past year to consider a two-lane road instead.

That two-lane road would claim enough right of way to accommodate four lanes one day, said Joel Setzer, head of the DOT for the 10 western counties. It would still be designed for a speed of 55 miles per hour. It would still operate like a freeway in the sense of limited access from driveways or intersecting roads. And where it joined N.C. 107, it would likely have an interchange rather than an intersection with a stoplight, Setzer said. But the two-lane concept is scaled down nonetheless.

Looking down the road (441 corridor)

2009-05-06T14:30:00.000-04:00

Looking down the road
Spot land-use plan to mark first forray into zoning
The Smoky Mountain News
May 6, 2009
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

Jackson County leaders have finished the first draft of a planning ordinance they hope will transform the U.S. 441 corridor in Whittier from a mish mash of billboards and unregulated growth into a model of tidy landscaping and mountain-themed architecture.

The U.S. 441 Development Ordinance made its public debut at an April 30 presentation at the Qualla Community Center. It now must go to the planning board for a review, then before county commissioners who will the decide whether to pass it into law. If it passes, Jackson will be the first county west of Buncombe to make a foray into land-use planning or zoning in a mostly rural unincorporated area.

The document, created by a county-appointed steering committee, is the culmination of a year-long process. At nearly 100 pages, it calls for mandatory landscaping and architectural standards, limits the size of signs and requires dumpsters to be screened.

Commercial development along the corridor is sparse now. But water and sewer are being installed along the highway, priming the pump for more intensive development to follow. The ordinance sets out a vision to guide anticipated growth from the outset along the stretch, which serves as an entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Cherokee.

“I know what is pretty and what is ugly is a matter of perspective, but on the other hand, there is signage and a type of building construction that I don’t believe is good for the community or the southern entrance of the (Park),” said Bill Gibson, a steering committee member, at the first public presentation of the ordinance.

Jackson County Planning Director Linda Cable said the appearance of the corridor is critical, since it’s a major gateway to the nation’s most-visited national park.

“This being a tremendous tourist attraction, it’s important that the corridor remains pleasing to visitors,” Cable said.

Gibson expressed high hopes that the ordinance, “will make the corridor both a safer travel route and a landscape over time that will become more pleasing not only to folks that live here, but travel here.”

Model process

The process of creating a planning document for the corridor began when citizens approached commissioners with concern over growth poised to follow the extension of water and sewer lines. Commissioners took heed and hired consulting firm Kimley-Horn and Associates in November 2007 to oversee the process. What followed was a series of stakeholder interviews, workshops, and a four-day series of interactive meetings with a team of planners, engineers and architects where public input was sought to create a vision for the area.

The public had plenty to say.

“There was overwhelming participation in this event,” said Matt Noonkester, a Kimley-Horn consultant for the project. “I think that’s what made the vision so important and so valid.”

Billboards were a big issue for people during the planning process, Nooncaster said. Participants were asked to guess how many billboards lined the corridor. Estimates ranged into the 300s — far below the actual number of 68, but a testament to the perception of clutter they created.

Community members wanted design guidelines to address building appearance and advocated for the creation of a development district to guide future growth. They overwhelmingly supported the development of a community brand, which would include a color palette, appropriate building materials and signs of a certain shape and size.

“There was strong support to look at regulating building architecture,” Noonkester said.

They liked the idea of a pedestrian-friendly, four-lane road with a landscaped center median.

Public input was compiled into the Small Area Plan, adopted by county commissioners in April of 2008. The document would serve as the foundation for a more comprehensive ordinance.

The bottom-up approach to planning was lauded by many who watched the process unfold. The Small Area Plan actually received an award from the American Planning Association.

“It was a really good model, not only for the ordinance that came out of it, but also the process,” said Ben Brown, communications coordinator for the Mountain Landscapes Initiative, the region’s largest-ever planning effort. “They chose to use a charette to talk directly to the community and help shape the principals and goals of the ordinance, which makes a lot more sense. That was the first really good example in the region of how to go about planning.”

Finding balance

Public opinion was kept at the forefront as the steering committee worked to draft the development ordinance.

Committee members, many longtime residents of the area themselves, had to strike a delicate balance between economic development and retaining Whittier’s beauty and character.

Debby Cowan, a steering committee member, spoke of the her experience trying to reconcile the two. Cowan said she wanted to preserve the area’s natural beauty, “but also recognized that Food Lion was one of the greatest things that happened in our community.”

Gibson also talked of trying to strike a balance.

“I have a great respect for individual property rights,” he said, but at the same time, “some of the changes we’re seeing right now are not in the community’s best interest.”

Though a strong private property rights sentiment might make some mountain folk wary of growth rules and regulations, it’s also important to develop in a wise manner, said Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Vice Chief Larry Blythe. The tribe was heavily involved in the process.

“It’s hard to put restrictions on people’s land, but when you’re talking about smart growth and the long term, we the tribe support this effort,” Blythe said.

During the process, committee members worked to shed their personal beliefs for the sake of what was best for the community as a whole.

“We feel like this is something that was prepared from the viewpoint of all the different people and all the different backgrounds of people in the community,” said Cowan. “While we don’t have it perfect probably, we do think the framework is something we worked very hard to make support everybody in the community.”

The committee’s efforts to include all viewpoints didn’t go unnoticed, said Michael Egan, the county’s consulting attorney on land development matters.

“I was very impressed with the dedication the committee had, always trying to think of the rest of the folks. There’s wasn’t a meeting that went by that somebody would say, let’s step back and take a look at that; let’s consider what affect that’s going to have on our neighbors and the folks who live here,” Egan said.

Billboards:

Tourist draw or clutter?

The draft development ordinance for U.S. 441 encourages development that helps maintain the area’s natural beauty and character — a style dubbed “mountain authentic.” According to the ordinance, the ubiquitous large, colorful billboards that line the corridor aren’t in keeping with the area’s character, and are prohibited. The ones already in existence will be grandfathered in, however. Under the ordinance, signs are limited to 32 square feet. Preferred sign materials include brick, stone, and exposed timber.

Miami Lively, a representative of Santa’s Land Advertising, which owns a number of billboards, raised protest to the strict requirements at the public presentation of the document.

“You cannot put most people’s logos and directions on a (32-square-foot) sign,” Lively said. “The bigger the sign, the easier to read. We agree we don’t need a whole bunch of clutter, but the business owners are paying taxes for their businesses. If they don’t make money, the tax money isn’t going to come in.”

Lively added that “billboards bring tourism to the area.”

Ron Servoss, a community resident, disagreed that billboards enhance an area.

“I drove the corridor into Washington, D.C., last week, where there are no billboards allowed, and it was just wonderful to see the countryside,” Servoss said.

Noonkester pointed to the commercial corridor outside Sylva off N.C. 107, where billboards have been allowed to spring up without regulation. The road, and the unchecked growth along it, is often used as an example of what to avoid becoming.

“How many people like driving N.C. 107?” Noonkester asked, citing its sprawling strip mall and fast-food appearance. “The people of Cherokee would benefit more if this place keeps an identity they can associate with.”

The steering committee hopes it has nailed down that identity in the development ordinance.

“As we grow, I hope that future generations can look back on this group and say, they did a really good thing for this community,” said County Commissioner William Shelton.

What’s in store?

Here’s a sample of the aesthetic standards called for in the U.S. 441 Development Ordinance. For the complete ordinance, go to www.smokymountainnews.com.

• Accepted building materials include stone, exposed timber, fiber cement siding, wood siding, and shingle siding. No aluminum buildings.

• Dark and earth-tone building colors are strongly encouraged. Intense, bright, black or fluorescent colors shall only be used as accents.

• Dumpsters must be screened and blend with the building.

• Trees must be planted around parking lots and shrubs must be planted around building foundations. Landscape plans must be prepared by a landscape architect or designer. Trees must be planted in parking lots that are more than 8,000 square feet.

• Billboards are prohibited. Other signs cannot exceed 32 square feet.

Task force aims to fix future traffic snarls

2009-03-11T16:03:00.000-04:00

Task force aims to fix future traffic snarls
The Smoky Mountain News
March 11, 2009
By Becky Johnson • Staff writer

A Jackson County task force has entered the nitty-gritty stage in its quest to fix traffic congestion on N.C. 107 in Sylva.

The group has begun compiling a long list of possible solutions to the congestion. Once complete, it will turn the list over to the Department of Transportation to assess whether and how much each idea could help.

The solutions fall into one of two categories. One is to alter the design of N.C. 107 to handle more traffic. The other is to divert cars off N.C. 107.

Jackson County is split into two basic camps of how to solve traffic congestion on N.C. 107. One advocates building the Southern Loop, a cross-county highway that would bypass the main drag of N.C. 107 and tie in with U.S. 23-74 north of Sylva. Initially conceived as a large-scale freeway, road planners now say it could be a boulevard or even simple two-lane road.

The second camp wants to redesign the existing N.C. 107 and use smaller side roads to handle some of 107’s traffic.

Just how much congestion the task force is tasked with solving has been the subject of debate over the last several months (see related article.) The latest prediction claims there will be around 1,000 to 2,000 cars too many using N.C. 107 during the peak commuter hours by the year 2035.

The projection was formulated using DOT models and growth formulas, and massaged with help of the task force.

Some members of the task force remain concerned over the growth assumptions plugged into the model. The pace of growth witnessed over the past 25 years may not hold true for the next 25.

“Then this overage you are trying to address may not be accurate,” said task force member Susan Leveille.

Those in favor of the Southern Loop want to make the future congestion look worse to justify the road, Leveille said. Likewise, those who don’t want to build the Southern Loop want to downplay future congestion.

Diverting traffic

The name of the game is figuring out how to deal with 1,000 to 2,000 more cars than the road can handle. That’s where the brainstorming process and solutions pitched by the task force come in.

Those opposed to the Southern Loop hope to shows the overage can be handled without building a new highway. Those in favor of the Southern Loop claim the only way of dealing with that many cars would be building the new bypass.

The Southern Loop isn’t the only way to divert cars off 107, however. There are other ways to lighten the load. One is a system of smaller network roads: a system of shortcuts, more or less.

Another option for lightening the load doesn’t involve the roads at all. For example, if more students and faculty lived in Cullowhee, they wouldn’t be driving up and down N.C. 107 to get to campus. The county could enact land-use strategies to encourage more residential development around Western, according to Pam Cook, a DOT transportation planner working with the task force.

“That would be something that only elected officials can change, but that can certainly be evaluated,” she said.

Another option to get cars off the road is a commuter bus between Sylva and Western Carolina University in hopes of decreasing cars on the road.

When it comes to altering the design of N.C. 107 to handle the traffic overage, solutions being pitched include rerouting intersections, adding lanes and congestion management strategies.

Some solutions, when packaged together, can actually result in exponential improvements. For example, an intersection redesign could increase carrying capacity by 2,000 cars and an extra lane by another 2,000, but when done together could carry an extra 5,000.

“We’ll try to strategically group those,” said Ryan Sherby, community transportation coordinator for 10 western counties.

A whole category of solutions falls under the umbrella of congestion management. Congestion management can streamline traffic and increase what the DOT calls the “carrying capacity” of the road. But the congestion strategies might not be included in the numbers game aimed at coping with the projected overage, Cook said.

But the techniques are being considered. A team that specializes in congestion management visited Jackson County and performed a cursory analysis of N.C. 107 last year at the behest of the local DOT. The report from their visit is not yet out, but could be promising, Cook said.

“They may not solve all the deficiencies but would certainly make things operate more smoothly,” Cook said.

Cook said the team would like to make a second visit to examine a few options more closely.

The public can join in the brainstorming as well. Anyone with a solution they think the task force should put on the list to run by DOT can contact Sherby at ryan@regiona.org or 828.586.1962, ext. 214.

Stop-and-start process now rolling

Jackson County task force members are excited with the new stage of their work. The task force was formed six years, but faltered for much of its existence due to a revolving door of DOT staffers, including long windows with no staff person assigned to the task force at all.

“I feel like we are just getting started with what I thought would be happening five years ago,” said Susan Leveille, a task force member and representative of the Smart Roads coalition. “We have been sitting listening for such a long time, and for a long time we had a void of nothing. I am very glad that we finally have an opportunity for input that seems to be genuinely part of the process.”

The current DOT staffer assigned to the task force marks the fourth since its creation, and each one essentially started again from scratch upon taking over. But the latest at the helm, Pam Cook, appears to be in for the long haul and the task force is finally showing concrete progress.

Cook said every solution pitched in the brainstorming stage will get evaluated.

“Every thought needs to be considered. Some can just be considered by discussion, some thoughts will be evaluated through a model, others we’ll have to go out into the field and see if it is feasibly possible to connect this road and that,” said Cook, who specializes in community transportation planning. “There is not a bad idea.”

Transportation task force looks at road deficiencies

2009-02-05T21:05:00.000-05:00

Transportation task force looks at road deficiencies
The Sylva Herald
February 5, 2009

By Justin Goble

Members of the Jackson County Transportation Task Force began looking at road deficiencies in the county during their meeting last Thursday (Jan. 29).

N.C. Department of Transportation Planner Pam Cook told members of the task force that DOT is looking at where and when traffic reached capacity in Jackson County in 2008 and trying to predict where those problems will be in 2035.

In its model, Cook said the DOT is looking at the county’s roads at three given time periods on an average day – 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

According to the DOT’s observations, Cook said the biggest problem with congestion in the county is along N.C. 107 from N.C. 116 to Asheville Highway in the 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. periods. At those times, Cook said the road is nearing its capacity for traffic, which is creating congestion for county motorists to deal with.

Midday traffic is also heavy, said DOT Engineer Jamie Wilson, adding that there is probably as much, if not more, traffic along the roads during the 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. period as during the others being studied. However, traffic is steadier in the middle of the day, whereas the morning and evening hours usually see a spike in traffic as people go to and leave work.

“During the morning and evening times, you may have a one-hour overload on the system,” Wilson said. “The midday period is more consistent. You may not have a big overload, but it’s a good amount of traffic along N.C. 107 the whole time.”

Greenways representative Allan Grant agreed, saying that congestion can’t fully be blamed on the layout of the road during those periods.

“That has more to do with business hours,” he said. “Everyone’s going and coming from work and it’s creating that spike.”

Smart Roads Alliance member Susan Leveille said that’s what DOT needs to deal with in its planning.

“That’s what we keep hearing concerns about,” Leveille said. “That spike is what people are worried about. If we want to address the concerns of the people, we have to address that spike in traffic.”

Leveille asked if the plan proposed by former Sylva Planning Director Jim Aust had been considered by DOT as a means to alleviate congestion at those times.

That plan includes a 1-mile connector to join the relocated Hospital Road with Cope Creek Road, which would allow travelers from the Moody Bottom area to avoid the Business 23/107 intersection. Another connector could give Dillardtown residents access to the same new road. 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 the 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 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 difficult for many vehicles to travel.

The map also shows numerous other proposed connectors. Included are projected 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.

Cook said it could be included as a proposed option when DOT starts looking more in depth at the road deficiencies and begins formulating solutions for them.

In 2035, Cook said DOT is projecting for traffic to greatly increase along the county’s roads, given the predicted population increase and Western Carolina University’s expansion to at least 15,000 on-campus students.

Because of that, Cook said DOT is predicting that the problems county drivers face will increase if nothing is done to alleviate congestion, and traffic will go over capacity on N.C. 107 in the morning and evening hours. That congestion is spilling onto parts of other roads as well, with portions of West Main Street, Webster Road, Asheville Highway, Cope Creek Road, Little Savannah Road and Centennial Drive (on Western Carolina University’s campus) nearing capacity as well, she said.

Midday traffic, though not as heavy, is also expected to be at capacity on those roads, Cook said.

Commissioner William Shelton, who represents county officials on the transportation task force, asked if DOT has accounted for the expansion planned along U.S. 441 from Whittier to Cherokee. With a sewer system set to be completed in the area in the next year, he said there is a good amount of development expected to take place.

“With all of the developments there, are we sure that the roads will be adequate?” Shelton asked.

Wilson said he thought that it might be slightly congested as motorists get off the exit from U.S. 74 onto U.S. 441, but that would be the worst problem along that road.

WCU representative Pat Brown also asked if DOT had thought about adding a westbound entrance ramp off Asheville Highway onto U.S. 74. That would keep some traffic from going through downtown Sylva to get onto the four-lane, she said.

DOT District Engineer Joel Setzer said the idea is currently being considered, and officials are determining what the cost of such a project will be.

Task force members will meet again this month to discuss the benefits of bike and walking paths and how they might affect traffic in the county.

Smart Roads group seeks county's help

2009-01-19T10:54:00.002-05:00

Smart Roads group seeks county's help
The Sylva Herald
January 15, 2009

By Justin Goble

Members of the Smart Roads Alliance are asking county commissioners for help in developing a community-based plan for N.C. 107.

Representatives Susan Leveille and Jeanette Evans went before county officials Monday night (Jan. 5) to discuss developing a plan similar to that being considered for the U.S. 441 corridor in Whittier.

That plan is allowing community members to give their input on guidelines that will help steer development in that area. Commissioners are hoping to have the plan complete sometime this year.

Evans said one of the reasons a plan like that would be better for N.C. 107 is that it would allow members of the community to lay out their vision for that area. Those ideas may be in stark contrast to the proposed N.C. 107/U.S. 23/74 connector that the N.C. Department of Transportation is planning, she said.

"Under the county's current land-use plan, the Department of Transportation can operate under their own assumptions of what the future of Jackson County will look like," Evans said. "We urge you to strengthen that document. You've also been doing some community-based development planning for the U.S. 441 corridor. We think it would be a good idea to expand that to the N.C. 107 corridor. The DOT's plan is vague. They are creating assumptions for the area that we think may be inaccurate."

Evans said if the DOT is allowed to move forward with its plans for a connector, several scenic areas and farmlands would be destroyed by road construction. If community members are given a say in the process, that could be prevented, she said.

Commissioners' Chairman Brian McMahan pointed out that the part of N.C. 107 that Evans was referring to was within Sylva's town limits, which means town officials have jurisdiction in the matter. However, he said the county would help with such an effort.

"It's something we're more than willing to look into," he said. "But this is something you will have to take up with the Sylva town board."

However, Commissioner Joe Cowan said the county's transportation task force has been working on plans to deal with traffic woes along N.C. 107 for almost a decade. They haven't produced an alternative to the DOT's plans, and the alternative proposed by former Sylva Planning Director Jim Aust (which was given public backing by Smart Roads) would be more harmful to the area, he said.

That plan includes a 1-mile connector to join the relocated Hospital Road with Cope Creek Road, which would then allow travelers from the Moody Bottom area to avoid the Business 23/107 intersection. Another connector could give Dillardtown residents access to the same new road. 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 the 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 runs from Blanton Branch Road, one terminus for the 107-23/74 connector, to Cane Creek Road. That route already exists, though a portion of it is unpaved and difficult for vehicles to travel.

The map also shows numerous other proposed connectors. Included are projected 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.

"The plan that they put up, even a novice like me can conclude that it would cost more money, uproot more people and destroy more homes than DOT's plan," he said. "I've never seen a plan from the transportation task force (as an alternative). The DOT did away with the (western) part of the proposed connector, which cut through Webster. I was personally opposed to that. It would have been bad for the community, and people voiced that opinion. There we have an example of DOT listening to the community. The majority of traffic we're dealing with is going east out to Cullowhee. DOT has competent engineers. They wouldn't create a route that would destroy scenic areas if it's possible for them to avoid that. That's not their job. This whole process has been stagnant for six years. What do we expect DOT to do? Their job is to build roads. I think it's time we get behind them."

Commissioner William Shelton, who represents the county on the transportation task force, said he thought the community should be given time to voice their opinions on the matter. Though the task force has met irregularly in the past, he said the group is meeting more often and getting a lot accomplished.

"People are bringing up valid points about the issue," he said. "Why should we stop listening to the public's concerns on it now when the task force is finally moving forward?"

Evans agreed.

"Smart Roads is currently working with the Regional Planning Office," she said. "We're not trying to stop any process that's ongoing. We're just trying to come up with some alternatives. The DOT is great with quantitative things, but they're not so great at qualitative things. That comes from the community. It's not our job to create solutions. Our job is to create a vision as to what that area should look like, and the DOT should design the roads to fit in with that vision."

After suggesting Evans and Leveille take their suggestions to the Sylva town board, commissioners said they would continue discussing the issue at a later date.

Smart Roads calls on county to step up in 107 planning

2009-01-07T21:24:00.000-05:00

Smart Roads calls on county to step up in 107 planning
The Smoky Mountain News
January 7, 2009
By Josh Mitchell • Staff Writer

A member of the Jackson County Smart Roads group told county commissioners on Monday (Jan. 5) that there needs to be more planning when it comes to the proposed N.C. 107 connector, a.k.a. Southern Loop.

The proposed road would connect N.C. 107 with U.S. 23/74 to relieve congestion on N.C. 107.

The Smart Roads representative, Jeanette Evans, said it is up to the county to develop a vision for future growth and development, particularly along the county’s primary commercial artery. She suggested that now is a good time for the county to launch a plan for N.C. 107 since the N.C. Department of Transportation is footing the bill to come up with solutions to congestion, whether it’s building a by-pass or improving the existing roadway.

It may be a good idea to develop an individual plan for N.C. 107 similar to what has been done on the 441 corridor, Evans said.

Evans, who is the Smart Roads representative on the Jackson County Transportation Task Force, said whatever is done to N.C. 107 will have a permanent affect on the county. The transportation task force is just in the “modeling stage” of determining how growth will affect N.C 107.

The fear is that the Southern Loop would destroy mountain landscapes.

County Commissioner Joe Cowan said N.C. 107 has been discussed for 10 years and has been “talked to death.” Cowan said Smart Roads has not developed one plan that addresses traffic concerns on N.C. 107. He said Smart Roads is “stagnant.”

But Susan Leveille, who is also a member of Smart Roads, said it is not her organization’s fault that progress has been slow. She laid the blame on DOT.

Cowan said DOT is not going to “decimate” a scenic area but said a bypass needs to be built to provide motorists with some relief.

Evans said Smart Roads is in place to advocate the community’s input on the road.

County Commissioner Tom Massie said there is already a county land use plan in place that addresses protecting scenic and cultural resources. Massie noted that the land use plan should be used in planning for N.C. 107 since the plan was developed with input form the public.

Massie suggested that the county planner and DOT planner communicate more about the county’s land use plan.

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

2008-12-11T14:10:00.000-05:00

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

Traffic simulations for 2035 takes leap of faith

2008-12-10T14:50:00.002-05:00

Traffic simulations for 2035 takes leap of faith
Smoky Mountain News
December 10, 2008
By Becky Johnson • Staff Writer

As the debate over the Southern Loop rages on, a faceless cadre of number crunchers have been assigned a seemingly impossible task: predict who will be driving on N.C. 107 and why 25 years from now.

The answer could ultimately propel or table the Southern Loop, a proposed bypass around Sylva meant to alleviate congestion on N.C. 107. While 107 serves a dual purpose — both a commercial strip and commuter corridor — the question for planners is whether a new road would divert enough traffic from N.C. 107 to do any good.

"Does a new road in that vicinity offer relief to 107 or does it not?" said Pam Cook, a transportation engineer working with the Jackson County Transportation Task Force. "Does it offer enough help to be worth continuing to look at in more detail?"

For now, DOT's number crunchers are deploying a complex formula to figure out how many cars will be on the road in the year 2035. The magic number will be unveiled in January.

The numbers being plugged into the formula are coming from the Jackson County Transportation Task Force. The task force met last week to finalize their input.

"What is Jackson County going to look like in 2035? Where is the employment, where is the population going to grow, where will schools grow, how will the college grow?" Cook asked. "That's what we've been looking at for the past couple months."

The numbers being plugged into the simulations assume the same rate of growth over the next 25 years as the past 25 years, from homes to jobs to population.

County Commissioner William Shelton, who sits on the task force, questioned whether this was an accurate assumption. Shelton said at some point the holding capacity of the land couldn't keep up with infinite growth at today's levels. Shelton said there could be a paradigm shift in the county's future.

"At some point that same template is not going to work, so at what point do you make that determination?" Shelton asked.

DOT planners told the task force not to get too caught up in the details.

"Don't get too concerned about these growth tables beyond five years," said Ryan Sherby, community transportation planner for DOT and the Southwestern Commission.

Cook said the projections could be revisited in five to 10 years.

"We plan the worst-case scenario," Cook said. "If we can back off some, great."

Considering DOT plans to buy up right-of-way for the Southern Loop in 2015, revisiting the projections in 10 years could be too late to change course.

Shelton again expressed concern that the numbers being plugged into the model are flawed.

"I think it is a fairly safe assumption that the growth pattern we have experienced over the last 30 years isn't going to continue indefinitely," Shelton said. "In that case, how are we going to get data? How do we create a model based on what we don't know?"

Cook said the DOT doesn't have a magic globe, but can make a fairly safe bet.

"You make your best effort. It's more than a guess," Cook said.

All in the formula

Short of standing in the middle of the road with a clipboard to ask drivers where they're headed, the task force will rely on the DOT's formula to accurately predict who will on the road and where they're going to be headed.

While the DOT knows how many people drive on N.C. 107, it doesn't know whether a student commuting to Western Carolina University stops off for a sausage biscuit at McDonald's every morning, or whether a professor picks up their kid from band practice on the way home every day.

While straight-up commuters might be candidates for a bypass, the commercial pull of Wal-Mart, Lowe's, Ingles, gas stations and fast-food joints could have drivers seeking out N.C. 107 anyway.

"I think we need to look at what is on 107. If all the commerce and services are on 107, then this connector is not going to take 50 percent of the traffic off or even 25 percent off," said Susan Leveille, a member of the task force representing the Smart Roads Alliance. "We need to figure that out somehow."

DOT claims it has a formula that will answer that question.

"We don't do a survey of every single person and map out every person's movement, but we know our model does a pretty good job," Cook said. "It takes into account someone who goes to work, leaves for lunch and comes back. The equations have taken years and years of research to come up with."

Cook said the DOT's formulas have proved accurate in Jackson County when used for present-day traffic counts. Applying the formula to today's demographics — population density, employment, schools, stores and the like — the number crunchers estimated how much traffic should be on which roads. When compared to actual traffic counts — captured by counters across the road — the predictions were accurate within plus or minus 10 percent, Cook said. Cook said that was exceptionally accurate.

But whether the formula will still hold true when projecting traffic for 2035 is another story. There could be entirely new variables, and current ones could be obsolete.

One likelihood is public transportation to and from WCU by then. Allen Grant, a task force member representing Jackson County Greenways, said future public transports up and down N.C. 107 should be factored in to the equation.

"I think we need to put these things into it," said Grant.

Pat Brown, dean of education and outreach at WCU, agreed.

"I think public transport would relieve some pressure," said Brown.

But Cook said public transportation wouldn't put a dent in N.C. 107 traffic and won't be factored into the 2035 traffic simulations.

"I don't know that it would be enough to help," Cook said.

Western's giant role

A giant wildcard in predicting traffic 25 years from now is Western Carolina University. If the school grows, so grows the county. And growth is most certainly in Western's plans.

"It seems the elephant in the room is Western's growth projections," said Dr. Cecil Groves, the president of Southwestern Community College and member of the task force.

Western plans to more than double the number students taking courses on campus from 7,000 to 15,000 by the year 2035, according to figures shared by Brown.

A lot of that growth could be self contained, however. WCU has aggressive plans for building on-campus housing, coupled with a commercial district to serve students. Known as the Millennial Campus, plans call for a new town center with restaurants, coffee shops, even a grocery store.

"The intent is to support that population," Brown said. "The students would live there, eat there, have their services there and spend time studying there."

If so, traffic on N.C. 107 may not be as elevated as it would under the current model that assumes students buzz into Sylva for most of their needs.

Of the 8,000 additional students WCU foresees, 3,000 would live on campus and 5,000 off-campus.

Jay Spiro, a member of the task force representing the Jackson County Smart Growth Alliance, asked how certain WCU is that the growth will come to fruition.

"When you start talking about 2035, it is definitely guess land —fantasy world is more like it," Brown replied.

Groves said that regardless of the exact numbers, WCU would certainly grow and the role of N.C. 107 as a gateway would only become more important over the years.

What's next?

After the traffic projections for 2035 are unveiled to the task force next month, the real work begins. The task force will start to develop ideas for solving transportation issues, namely congestion.

"They'll brainstorm alternatives to help relieve any problem areas," Cook said.

The result will be a "comprehensive transportation plan," but the problem areas getting the most attention will be the main drag of N.C. 107 and U.S. Business 23.

The goal of the task force's transportation plan will be reducing congestion during rush hour periods, regardless if it occurs any other time of day, Cook said.

Leveille questioned whether such an approach is realistic. Rush hour congestion is part of life, she said.

"The goal to have no traffic congestion is lala land. It is just not achievable ever," Leveille said.

Cook said she hopes the duration of rush hour congestion would be taken into consideration. If it's just a short window, building the Southern Loop might be overkill versus other solutions.

"I would certainly say if it is only 30 minutes I would hope they look at congestion management," Cook said.

Congestion management experts within DOT have already taken a gander at N.C. 107. With so much publicity brewing over the road, the experts made a trip here from Raleigh to see if any quick fixes jumped out at them.

"That's a practice I would like to see in DOT, for congestion management to come in and offer simple suggestion if there are any," Cook said.

The idea of fixing N.C. 107 congestion without building a new road will be explored more fully as part of yet another more formal study currently under way.

DOT gets earful from public on Southern Loop

2008-12-10T14:46:00.002-05:00

DOT gets earful from public on Southern Loop
Smoky Mountain News
December 10, 2008
By Josh Mitchell • Staff Writer

Jackson County resident Susan Leveille opposes the construction of a N.C. 107 bypass.

"I am very hopeful DOT and all other powers who make decisions will take a look at the alternatives to a bypass for alleviating traffic concerns," Leveille said.

Leveille told The Smoky Mountain News her concerns about the project last Thursday (Dec. 4) during a public information meeting put on by the North Carolina Department of Transportation at Western Carolina University.

Constructing a bypass would destroy mountain scenery and communities that have been a part of Leveille's family for five to six generations, she said.

"It would destroy why we like living here and why people like visiting here," she said.

A bypass connecting N.C. 107 with U.S. Highway 23/74 would also create noise, runoff and pollution problems, she added..

About 150 residents attended the meeting, which featured large maps stationed around the room with DOT officials on hand to answer questions . DOT Project Planning Engineer Ryan White said the purpose of the meeting was to gather input from the public on the project.

DOT is currently evaluating the traffic problems on N.C. 107 and determining possible solutions. DOT plans to have list of solutions in late 2009 and choose one in 2012.

DOT's timeline also calls for buying right of way in 2015 and construction beginning after 2015.

Building the bypass is not a sure thing, as DOT is just in the beginning phases of the project, according to Joel Setzer, head of the DOT for the 10 western counties.

Setzer said the community must come together to determine if a connector is the best solution to ease congestion. Many would say simply redesigning N.C. 107 is all that is needed, Setzer said, adding that all alternatives need to be explored.

Setzer sees advantages to a new road, however.

"I think a connector would provide an alternative for people," he said.

N.C. 107 gets congested during the morning and afternoon from traffic going to Western Carolina University, Southwestern Community College, Smoky Mountain High School and Fairview Elementary School. Traffic from Lowe's, Wal-Mart, Ingles and other businesses contributes to the congestion.

"There's definitely a need to improve traffic flow on N.C. 107," said White.

With so much traffic on N.C. 107 the likelihood of accidents increases, White added.

Rather than building a bypass, other alternatives such as redesigning N.C. 107 could possibly alleviate congestion. The situation could also be improved if more people used public transportation, such as students riding school buses.

DOT is currently conducting a feasibility study to determine if N.C. 107 should be redesigned.

Norma Medford of Blanton Branch, which is near where the proposed connector would be located, said she opposes the project because it would destroy forests.

White said environmental concerns are taken into consideration by DOT. He said DOT cannot do anything without approval from several environmental agencies.

Medford doesn't think the traffic on N.C. 107 is bad enough to warrant a new road.

"I don't know why there has to be a new road," she said. "I'm extremely opposed to it."

Throughout the process DOT is scheduled to have several public information workshops. The project is estimated to cost $132 million.

Officials stay away from private DOT meeting, stay within bounds of law

2008-12-10T14:45:00.002-05:00

Officials stay away from private DOT meeting, stay within bounds of law
Smoky Mountain News
December 10, 2008
By Josh Mitchell

It appears local government officials obeyed the Open Meetings Law when they attended a private N.C.. Department of Transportation meeting about the controversial N.C. 107 connector last week.

The Smoky Mountain News reported in the Nov. 26 edition that the government officials were poised to violate the Open Meetings Law because the meeting had not been advertised to the public.

The towns of Webster, Forest Hills, Sylva and Jackson County all had representation at the meeting, but stayed within the bounds of the law by not having a majority of their respective boards present.

According to the N.C. Open Meetings Law, an official meeting occurs when a majority of a public board is present at a meeting pertaining to public business. Such a meeting requires that the public be given notice of the meeting, which it was not in this case.

A meeting open to the public followed the private meeting between DOT and the government officials.

DOT said that it wanted to have a meeting with the public officials first to inform them about the project so they would be prepped to answer constituents' questions. At the meeting, elected leaders were called on to talk about concerns and questions they may have involving the road project.

Franklin Alderman Bob Scott tipped The Smoky Mountain News off about the meeting, saying he thought it was a violation of the Open Meetings Law. By not informing the public about the meeting, it seemed as if DOT wanted to tell the local officials something it didn't want to tell the citizens, Scott said.

The Smoky Mountain News attended the meeting. (see related article.)

ROAD MEETING SET FOR TODAY, DEC. 4, 2008

2008-12-04T10:49:00.002-05:00

The N.C. Department of Transportation is planning a citizens' information workshop today (Thursday) on the proposed N.C. 107 Connector (formerly called the Southern Loop) project. DOT officials are beginning environmental and design studies to determine how best to address congestion issues along the U.S. 23 Business/N.C. 107 corridor from east of Sylva to just south of the Western Carolina University campus. The informal meeting will be from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Hospitality Room of Western Carolina University's Ramsey Center. No formal program is planned, but citizens are invited to drop in and speak individually with NCDOT officials about project plans. Prior to that session, at 2 p.m., DOT officials will brief local elected officials on the project. The above map shows the project boundaries; according to DOT officials a route for the new road, which would connect U.S. 23/74 with N.C. 107, is not yet determined but will be within the area indicated above. Interested parties may also write, referencing Transportation Improvement Program project number R-4745, to Ryan White, NCDOT Project Development and Environmental Analysis Branch, 1548 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1548.

Politicians poised for Open Meetings violation in Southern Loop talks

2008-11-26T10:44:00.000-05:00

Politicians poised for Open Meetings violation in Southern Loop talks
The Smoky Mountain News
November 26, 2008
By Josh Mitchell

A private meeting has been scheduled between the N.C. Department of Transportation and elected leaders to discuss the controversial Southern Loop — a move that seems headed toward a violation of the N.C. Open Meetings Law.

County commissioners and town board members were invited to the private meeting by the DOT, which is in the planning stages of a hotly debated highway that would slice through Jackson County northeast of Sylva.

The public has not been notified of the meeting, which is required under the N.C. Open Meetings Law, according to an attorney from the North Carolina Press Association.

The meeting will take place from 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4, in the Ramsey Center Hospitality Room at Western Carolina University. The private meeting will be followed by one for the public from 4 to 7 p.m. at the same place.

DOT Senior Public Information Officer Jamille A. Robbins said that the DOT does not want the public to attend the meeting intended for local officials. Robbins said the meeting is an opportunity for the elected leaders to become informed about the road project so they will be prepared to answer constituents' questions.

"We want to let the local officials to know first," Robbins said. "We're not hiding anything. You're trying to make it sound like we're having a clandestine meeting."

However, Robbins said if members of the public showed up, they wouldn't be "turned around." Robbins said DOT is not trying to do anything "underhanded" with the local officials' meeting or it wouldn't be having the public workshop afterwards.

Robbins said he does not think the DOT is violating the Open Meetings Law.

North Carolina Press Association Attorney Mike Tadych agreed the DOT is not violating the Open Meetings Law — but local officials will be if they don't give public notice of the meeting. Tadych said an official meeting occurs when there is a simultaneous gathering of a majority of a public board, other than a social setting.

"I think they would have to give notice," Tadych said.

The majority of Jackson County commissioners say they plan on attending the meeting, according to a poll by The Smoky Mountain News.

Jackson County Commissioner Chairman Brian McMahan said he does not believe the commissioners will violate the Open Meetings Law if they attend the meeting without announcing it.

"We didn't call the meeting," McMahan said. "It's strictly a DOT meeting."

McMahan said the commissioners will simply attend the meeting to get information, similar to when they attend Economic Development Commission meetings. However, EDC meetings are already announced to the public since it is a public entity in its own right, regardless if commissioners attend.

Even if the commissioners are attending the DOT meeting to merely listen, it should still be noticed to the public, Tadych said.

State law defines an "official meeting" as anytime the majority of a board gathers for a meeting pertaining to public business.

County Manager Ken Westmoreland said he doesn't think the county commissioners need to advertise that they will be attending the meeting.

"It's not an official meeting from our standpoint," Westmoreland said. "We're not going to conduct business or take official action."

But Westmoreland said to avoid the appearance of violating the Open Meetings Law there will not be a majority of the county commissioners in the room at one time. That is standard practice for Jackson County commissioners in a meeting such as this, Westmoreland said.

But Tadych said even if there are two county commissioners in the meeting — although it technically isn't a majority of the five person board — it is still subject to public notice. The two commissioners in the room would constitute a committee serving as an extension public body, Tadych said.

Westmoreland said he disagrees with that.

"This is not a committee meeting of any formal nature," Westmoreland said.

County Commissioner William Shelton said the county is not going to violate the Open Meetings Law. He agreed with Westmoreland that there will not be more than two commissioners in the meeting room at a time. Shelton said two commissioners could go into the meeting and listen a while and then two others could go in.

Westmoreland said he agrees that the DOT meeting "probably wasn't arranged the best."

"I admit DOT has not been very prudent," Westmoreland said.

Other local officials were also invited to the meeting, according to Robbins, including the town boards of Sylva, Dillsboro, Webster and Forest Hills.

The private meeting raised the ire of Franklin Town Alderman Bob Scott, who received an invitation to the meeting and tipped off The Smoky Mountain News that it is taking place.

"My feeling is that it's in violation of the Open Meetings Law," Scott said. "I think it's a little strange to have a meeting for elected officials that the public is not invited to."

The private meeting gives the appearance that DOT wants to tell the local officials something it doesn't want to tell the public, he said.

What the law says

The argument over whether elected boards can attend a private meeting with the DOT to talk about the Southern Loop comes down to whether the meeting qualifies as an "official meeting." Here's how it's defined in state statute:

"'Official meeting' means a meeting, assembly, or gathering together at any time or place ... of a majority of the members of a public body for the purpose of conducting hearings, participating in deliberations, or voting upon or otherwise transacting the public business within the jurisdiction, real or apparent, of the public body. However, a social meeting or other informal assembly or gathering together of the members of a public body does not constitute an official meeting unless called or held to evade the spirit and purposes of this Article."

— N.C. 143-318.10-d.

Transportation seminar termed success

2008-10-07T15:53:00.001-04:00

Transportation seminar termed success

Oct. 2, 2008

The Sylva Herald

To the Editor:

By all accounts the Sept. 25 Jackson County Transportation Seminar was a success. Thanks to the support of the Southwestern Rural Planning Organization and the Jackson County commissioners, the Jackson County Transportation Task Force was encouraged by professional traffic planners to include quality of life issues into the comprehensive transportation plan. The professional recommendations were, "Build towns, not sprawl; Fit, don't flatten the mountains; Smarter roads, not wider ..."

Some of these modern design models are currently being utilized by the town of Waynesville in its effort to redesign and improve Russ Avenue. Waynesville went through a series of community meetings before a long-term plan was created. Thursday's speakers stressed the importance of public involvement in the creation of a long-term plan, stressing the importance that the final design reflects the values of the surrounding community. The Smart Roads Alliance advocates for similar opportunities for public involvement in the planning of Jackson County's transportation future. Much of the ground work for this was done during the Smart Growth meetings in 2003. The overlaying result of these meetings was the desire that our county maintain its rural character and scenic beauty.

Further opportunities for public involvement will ensure that these values will be represented in the final transportation design.

Jeannette Evans
Cullowhee
(Evans is chairman of the Smart Roads Alliance.)

Traffic experts discuss ideas for reducing 107 congestion

2008-10-07T15:48:00.002-04:00

Traffic experts discuss ideas for reducing 107 congestion

By Justin Goble

A group of "transportation professionals" spoke with members of the community at length last Thursday (Sept. 25) about ways to plan for traffic improvements in the county.

Speakers Leigh Lane, Walter Kulash and Drew Joyner spoke to a crowd of about 50 people for four hours about what might be done to deal with traffic along N.C. 107 as well as how the county can plan for future traffic needs.

Lane, a manager of transportation policy for the Louis Berger Group Inc., who has more than 21 years in transportation planning and project development – including 15 years with the N.C. Department of Transportation as head of its public involvement and community studies unit – spoke to the crowd about "context-sensitive solutions" to traffic woes. She said when planning for future traffic needs, people need to consider the context in which they are working.

"What is context?" she asked. "It's a set of interrelated conditions. You have to start with the quality of life. That includes things like cultural resources, housing, health, safety and other things. But people's values may differ a bit. The priority that a community places on these things is very important. The quality of life results from the interconnection of those needs."

However, when thinking about these issues, Lane said transportation is something that is never discussed. She said it should be, because traffic affects communities in many ways. Members of the community have to be active in transportation planning because it affects their daily lives, she said.

"If you ask people to define quality of life, they don't bring up transportation," she said. "People don't see transportation as an end unto itself. They see it as a means to an end. But transportation affects everything. So if you can organize the components of the context you're working in, you get a "basework" for information gathering. That allows you to see what the community wants for an area and how transportation needs fit into that."

Planners have to also consider aesthetic, economic, social and environmental issues while doing traffic plans for a community, she said.

As an example of what communities can do to affect traffic, Lane showed the group a thoroughfare in Washington state. She said the area had been having a problem with accidents and speeding, with people being afraid to turn left. There was little to no walkability, she said.

The community came up with a vision for that area, which was to create a "Main Street atmosphere" and town center for visitors and residents.

"They redrew the lane widths of the road to 10 feet, put in a median and installed a 6 foot sidewalk. They also installed decorative lighting and put in crosswalks. Did it work? It sure did. Because of these changes, there was a 58-percent reduction in crashes. The average operational speed went from 35 miles per hour to 33. Someone told me a recent study showed that it was down to 31. They've also done counts and found there are nearly 2,000 pedestrians every month. One of the most fascinating things was that, when this started, businesses in the area were upset over the median but decided to go along with it. Once the corridor opened up, the tax revenue increased by $3.5 million in one year. Businesses even relocated to be part of the corridor."

In the end, Lane said the people in Jackson County could have a hand in shaping the future of transportation in the area. However, she said they need to get involved at the "ground level" to make sure any transportation projects fit in with what the community wants.

"You have to come up with a vision, get educated about what needs to be done and do your homework," she said.

Next up was Walter Kulash, an independent traffic engineer who has spoken in Jackson County twice before. Kulash argued that the previous method of dealing with increasing traffic – widening roads – is fundamentally flawed. If the Department of Transportation were to widen a road like N.C. 107, he said that would only increase the amount of traffic on it.

"If you widen a road, you get a new traffic number," he said. "Usually, more people start to use that road than you projected. The fact that the wider road is in place changes driver behavior and creates more traffic. This is the only public institution that sees this happen – the increase in capacity met with such an increase in usage. If the elementary schools said they could keep kids until they were 16, you wouldn't see such a sharp increase in the number of kids in elementary schools. But in the case of traffic, this pattern goes on and on and on."

Instead, Kulash said the more effective solution to congestion is to create an interconnected series of side roads that keep people off of the main thoroughfare. Because congestion is getting worse on the main roads in many cities, he said it forces people to change their driving habits in an effort to avoid it. Planners can take advantage of that fact by connecting the roads already in place, he said.

"If we accept that congestion on the main roads is a problem we can't entirely overcome, the initial costs do look bad," he said. "People are waiting longer in traffic and things like that. But if you look at the secondary costs and the tertiary costs, it starts to look better. People don't want to move farther away, so they make improvements to their homes. Local businesses look more attractive since people are less willing to drive farther away for goods and services. So instead of trying to fight congestion by widening roads, we need to squeeze more out of the roads we already have in place."

As to how that could be accomplished in Jackson County, Kulash presented a map based on one Sylva Planning Director Jim Aust first drew four years ago and which has since been expanded.

That plan includes a 1-mile connector to join the relocated Hospital Road with Cope Creek Road, which would allow travelers from the Moody Bottom area to avoid the Business 23/107 intersection. Another connector could give Dillardtown residents access to the same new road. 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 the 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 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 difficult for many vehicles to travel.

The map also shows numerous other proposed connectors. Included are projected 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.

Though this would put a lot of cars on secondary roads, Kulash said it would be safe because many of the roads would be two-lane. Also, with a series of connector roads, the number of intersections is increased, which would force cars to travel at slower speeds.

While diverting traffic from N.C. 107, this plan increases the street frontage for buildings and businesses. Planners can use that fact to create multiple entrances and exits for businesses, and ordinances can be used to create a more "neighborhood friendly" atmosphere.

"If you encourage businesses not to make the parking lot the focal point, you can create some really nice, walkable areas," he said. "Making the business itself a focal point, with sidewalks allowing people to walk to it, is a much more attractive option. Most businesses only want to be on the main road for visibility purposes. They want you to see them. However, they don't care if you get to them through back roads."

The biggest problem with this idea is that the state Department of Transportation does not own rights of way to many of those roads. That means state funding could not be used to create connectors, leaving it to local agencies to come up with the money. However, he said communities that had initiated similar plans had been able to raise the funds to complete such projects.

Speaking last was Drew Joyner, head of the NCDOT's human environment unit. That unit is responsible for groups that perform public involvement, community impact, archaeological, historic architecture, noise and air quality studies for state transportation officials.

Joyner laid out the DOT's process for construction projects, saying the department comes up with a long-range plan to meet an area's traffic needs. That process includes developing a comprehensive transportation plan. From there, the department goes into the "programming" stage, where officials see what the most important projects are and see how much money can be allocated to them. After that, the DOT does project design and development, where officials look at a project's feasibility, consider its alternatives and start drawing up plans. Joyner said those two phases continue right up to right of way acquisition and construction.

"A lot goes on simultaneously," he said. "Things can change from day to day."

As for N.C. 107, Joyner said DOT is looking at the various options available to alleviate traffic on that road.

"We're looking at a variety of options and 'what-ifs,' " he said. "We're not just doing that to figure out costs. We're seeing if there are some viable alternatives and we'll be using that information to make decisions."

The current plan to alleviate traffic, known as the Southern Loop (project R4745), is just one of many ideas being suggested, he said. Though that project is on the DOT's Transportation Improvement Plan for the area, he said that plan is only in its early stages and will more than likely be modified as time goes on. DOT planners on hand even commented that the project is not even a "line on the map" and that they have not even begun the initial planning phases.

As first proposed, the Southern Loop would have run from U.S. 74 near Blanton Branch to U.S. 441 near Cagle Branch, crossing N.C. 107 near Locust Creek. However, the 107-441 segment has been dropped leaving a proposed connector road from 107 to 74.

"The project development stage takes anywhere from five to seven years," he said. "Sometimes the CTP is updated once or twice before we even get to the project development stage."

The Jackson County Transportation Task Force does not have a formal role in planning for the Southern Loop, he said, but the project does have several opportunities for public input. The DOT does want to hear the public's opinion on the issue, he said, though some people might not think they do.

"If the DOT doesn't give you what you want, don't think that we're not listening," he said. "Sometimes we go into a community with 25 different people who have 25 different views on a project and most of them conflict. There's always a piece of the community that's not happy with our decisions. It's not that we didn't listen. We want to do what's right and make the community happy. The last thing we want to do is shove something down the community's throat. We have a lot of people to make happy, and we hope you challenge us with your ideas."

After the three had finished their presentations, members of the Transportation Task Force were allowed to ask questions of the speakers. Member Don Selzer asked Kulash how communities with cul-de-sacs fit into his plan.

"The reasons behind those are to limit access and traffic in neighborhoods," he said.

Kulash said cul-de-sacs could fit in with a network of connected roads. It would just be a manner of planning better access to those neighborhoods.

"We can have cul-de-sacs in communities," he said. "But let's not have just one entry and exit point. Let's let people have multiple ways in and out of a neighborhood."

DOT Engineer Jamie Wilson questioned Kulash's plan, saying it wasn't feasible since state funds aren't available for such a project. Even if funding was an option, he said building a series of connectors would do a lot of harm to the community.

"It's not realistic to impose upon people in those areas," Wilson said. "The state does not own those roads and DOT money cannot pay to build connectors. Even if it could move forward, that would have a huge impact on the community. People don't want to be told what to do, but that's what you'd be doing."

Though admitting he'd never been in the communities where the planned connector roads would be built, Kulash said he thought the incentives to move forward with such a project would grow as traffic on N.C. 107 gets worse.

"There's a lack of connectivity because people never thought about it," he said. "But I don't think people located on those streets with the thought that there would be nothing else. As traffic on N.C. 107 gets worse, people would be more inclined to travel connector roads. People understand that if there's no connectivity, we're stuck with widening N.C. 107 to seven lanes with restricted turning."

Lane agreed, arguing that she thought state funding could be used for that project.

Task force member Susan Leveille, who represents the Smart Roads Alliance, asked why their suggestions for alternatives had not been considered. She said Smart Roads had received a letter asking for their suggestions but those were not included in later documentation on the Southern Loop project. Smart Roads member Roger Turner agreed, saying public involvement with DOT seemed to be only reactive.

Joyner said that with the Southern Loop, the DOT had solicited public input much earlier than with other projects. Though suggestions from Smart Roads have not been included in some of the documentation, he said that was mainly because DOT officials usually consider alternatives suggested by the public much later on in a project cycle.

"There's a lot of things we have to work out, and one of those is the best way to get the community involved," he said. "We may not have responded to Smart Roads comments in our recent documents, but that's because we usually don't respond until the development document is complete. It doesn't indicate we aren't listening. We're just in the middle of a very long process."

TRANSPORTATION SEMINAR - THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 25

2008-09-15T18:28:00.001-04:00

TRANSPORTATION SEMINAR

Thursday September 25, 2008

Jackson County Justice Center

Room 220

12:30PM - 4:15PM

Presentations by:

Walter Kulash - independent traffic engineer
Drew Joyner - NCDOT Human environment department head
Leigh Lane - Transportation policy consultant

Reception to follow 4:30PM - 5:30PM

Sponsored by: Southwestern RPO, Jackson County & Smart Roads Alliance

www.smartroads.org

County officials OK DOT’s plans for secondary road improvements

2008-05-03T13:38:00.001-04:00

County officials OK DOT's plans for secondary road improvements
By Justin Goble
The Sylva Herald
May 1, 2008

County leaders April 21 unanimously approved plans from the N.C.
Department of Transportation to improve area secondary roads.

DOT officials discussed their plans during a public hearing prior to
commissioners' regular meeting that night. During that hearing,
Division 14 Engineer Joel Setzer said the DOT is trying to create a
network of paved secondary roads for motorists to use. However, funding
for many of those improvements hasn't been available in the past, he
said.

"We've not been able to spend all of the money that we've been
allocated in the past due to some funding issues with the state," he
said. "But we've tightened our belts, and now we can spend most of the
allocations we get to improve the roads."

DOT engineer Jonathan Woodard agreed, adding that many projects have
already been started in the county. With funding now available, he said
those should be completed sometime in the near future.

Along with posting safety signs throughout the county, Woodard said the
majority of projects under way involve paving sections of unpaved
roads. Those roads include Lower North Fork, Bullpen, Jurn McCall,
Chastain Creek, Garland Ashe, Happy Valley and Finley Forest. Paved
road improvements are taking place along Shook Cove and Monteith Branch
roads. The total cost of these projects is expected to run $2.9
million, he said.

For fiscal year 2008, Woodard said DOT officials expect to spend
$823,285 on road improvements. Along with continuing to install safety
signs as needed throughout the county, officials will be doing surveys
and spot improvements. Those projects are expected to continue for the
next three years. DOT officials are also planning to begin acquiring
right of ways to make paved road improvements on Cope Creek Road. Such
improvements will be made to Old Mission Road this year at an expected
cost of $300,000.

"We chose these roads based on two factors," Woodard said. "The first
was safety. We're hoping that, if we can improve and widen some of
these roads, we'll be able to reduce the number of crashes. The other
factor is trying to reduce the number of bottlenecks. Hopefully we'll
be able to reduce the amount of traffic congestion in the county."

The Cope Creek project is expected to continue through 2010, Woodard
said, with $300,000 being spent on engineering and right of way
acquisition. Improvements are expected to cost around $820,000, he
said.

DOT officials are also expected to make paved road improvements to Old
Settlement Road starting in 2009. That project is estimated to run
around $826,000, Woodard said.

The only community member to speak during the hearing was Smart Roads
Alliance's Susan Levielle of Webster, who asked if the DOT had
considered creating a network of secondary roads in the county to
divert traffic off N.C. 107 and cut down on congestion.

According to Conrad Burrell of Sylva, DOT board member for Division 14,
that's exactly what officials are aiming to do with these improvements.

"That's basically what we're doing," he said. "We're looking at ways to
take traffic out of the intersection at Bogart's (where U.S. 23
Business and N.C. 107 intersect). We're looking at every available
route to improve traffic on N.C. 107."

Construction on 23-74/107 connector could begin in 2015

2008-05-03T13:36:00.000-04:00

Construction on 23-74/107 connector could begin in 2015
By Stephanie Salmons
The Sylva Herald
May 1, 2008

Even if a road connecting N.C. 107 and U.S. 23/74 is built, it could be
at least six years before the N.C. Department of Transportation begins
right of way acquisition for the project.

That was the news from the April 23 meeting of the Jackson County
Transportation Task Force.

According to Project Manager Mark Reep, of Raleigh-based KO and
Associates, an environmental and feasibility study for the proposed
road, which has been known as the eastern portion of the Southern Loop,
is just beginning and should be completed by 2009.

In the interim, it's possible that some relief for the congested
highway could come as the result of another feasibility study,
according to Derrick Lewis of NCDOT's feasibility study unit. He said a
study is currently under way for N.C. 107 from its intersection with
U.S. 23 business near Bogart's through Cullowhee. That feasibility
study can be used to evaluate other traffic control options, Lewis
said.

"I think this is more in line to answer questions," Lewis said of the
study, which is slated for completion in late 2009. "We're trying to
find what it will take to meet traffic demands on N.C. 107."

Officials are also in the process of collecting data that could show
the importance of 107-23/74 connector project, Reep said, adding that
once the purpose and need of the project is established, a detailed
study of alternatives will commence.

Alternatives can include not taking any action, using existing
transportation systems, researching public transportation options
within the area to see if they could stand as an alternative, and
road-building alternatives.

If it is decided to build the road, selection of a preferred
alternative is scheduled to happen in the spring of 2013 following an
Environmental Impact Statement, a draft of which is scheduled to be
prepared for public review in 2012, and a public hearing, Reep said.

According to Reep, right of way acquisition, which can begin after the
final EIS is submitted and a preferred alternative is selected, is
slated to begin in 2014.

"During this process, there will be local government involvement," Reep
said, adding that the Rural Planning Organization, which serves smaller
areas as a voice to the DOT, will serve in an advisory capacity and
that DOT officials will seek community input throughout the process.

"NCDOT will seek input through the entire county and from
municipalities and the transportation task force throughout the study,"
Reep said.

Public-involvement opportunities may include briefings, meetings with
community groups, citizens' informational workshops, newsletters,
e-mail and public hearings, he said.

Although a new road to help alleviate the traffic situation on N.C. 107
is years off, Division 14 engineer Joel Setzer told the task force that
there are steps being taken that would affect traffic on the road.

These steps include taking a curve out of N.C. 116 making the road
easier to travel and a new road that would connect Southwestern
Community College with N.C. 107 south of its intersection with N.C.
116.

"That will take quite a bit of traffic congestion off of that
intersection," Setzer said, adding that improvements to Fairview Road
and Jones Street have also helped improve access to Smoky Mountain High
School and relieve traffic at the N.C. 107/N.C. 116 intersection.

Environmental assessment marks beginning of Hwy. 107 master plan

2008-04-30T10:43:00.000-04:00

Environmental assessment marks beginning of Hwy. 107 master plan
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer
Smoky Mountain News
April 30, 2008

The N.C. Department of Transportation last week unveiled the process it
will use in developing a plan to relieve traffic congestion on N.C.
107.

DOT told Jackson County's Transportation Task Force on April 23 that an
environmental assessment of the roadway will help it determine if
alternatives—like a two-lane connector road — will relieve congestion.

"It's an evaluation of how the road project should be designed," said
Ko & Associates engineer Mark Reep. "The assessment will specifically
look at one centralized area, in this case it's N.C. 107."

DOT hired the Raleigh-based consulting firm to develop a master design
plan for N.C. 107. Included in that assessment is a determination of
the impact a two-lane road may have upon the environment. Roads in
Jackson are currently under review by DOT in the county's Comprehensive
Transportation Plan. DOT is gathering information about specific areas
in the county expected to grow in population and employment.

Information from both studies will help DOT develop a countywide
roadway plan, which will include suggestions such as building more
sidewalks or bike lanes to relieve congestion.

The process

The environmental assessment is the first phase of the planning
process, Reep explained. Officials will examine N.C. 107 traffic
capacity and who uses the road to develop a planning boundary.

Officials have a list of items they must identify and address while
conducting the assessment: purpose and need, establishing an agreement
on alternatives, coming up with the preferred alternative that will
have the least impact to the environment, mitigation for environmental
issues, and final design.

Since the study area is set, officials will develop a list of
alternatives to relieve congestion. Each alternative will be examined
to determine what type of impact it will have upon the environment,
Reep explained.

If officials are unaware of the impact an option may have upon the
environment, then an assessment will be conducted to get more details,
he said. If part of the proposal does adversely affect the environment,
officials must determine what mitigation will be needed.

All information from the study will be presented to the Federal Highway
Administration. Reep says during the assessment process the FHA will
listen to public opinion. Community workshops will be held throughout
the assessment process. Members of the Southwestern Commissions
Transportation Advisory Committee, a group of local officials from
Western North Carolina, will be involved.

Timeline

The assessment for N.C. 107 just started taking shape three weeks ago,
Reep said. Currently workers are looking at what features — like a bike
lane or sidewalks — can be added to N.C. 107. The study will also
identify narrow roadways and sharp curves. Reep says his firm will
gather information until February 2009. Officials will start
identifying alternatives in December 2009 and plan to have a final
recommendation in 2012. A design plan will be selected in 2013 and DOT
plans to start acquiring right-of-way in 2014.

Jackson starts U.S. 441 planning process

2008-04-30T10:42:00.000-04:00

Jackson starts U.S. 441 planning process
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer
Smoky Mountain News
April 30, 2008

After four months of surveying and seeking public opinion, consultants
hired by Jackson County to develop a corridor plan for U.S. 441 have
all the information they need to begin writing a specific ordinance.

Land planners made a presentation to Jackson County commissioners last
week on the information they've gathered about the four-mile roadway
that leads visitors into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and
the Cherokee Indian Reservation.

The Raleigh-based firm Kimley-Horn and Associates developed the plan
for an area expected to become a hot spot for development once the
Whittier Sewer Treatment Plant is built this summer.

"We all know where there is water and sewer there will be growth," said
Commissioner Tom Massie. "We are trying to be ahead of the growth
curve."

The board hopes by developing a growth management plan for U.S. 441 it
will prevent unsightly commercial development. N.C. 107 in Sylva and
Russ Avenue in Waynesville have been used as examples of unsightly
growth.

The nuts and bolts

The plan encompasses 5,400 acres and divides the Qualla community into
two areas — the Gateway District and the River District.

The Gateway District stretches from the U.S. 23-74 entrance ramp onto
U.S. 441 to the Qualla Boundary. The River district is from U.S. 23-74
intersection south to Camp Creek Road.

Planners broke down the two districts into seven small study areas and
closely examined which regions should be preserved and what areas could
handle commercial, industrial or residential growth, said Mike
Rutkowski, project manager.

What is allowed where

The corridor is still very rural with only a few businesses and homes.
About 750 residents live in the study area. Several vacant motels, a
few shops and campgrounds are the primary businesses located along U.S.
441 before entering downtown Cherokee.

While studying the corridor, the firm sought community opinion. A
steering committee comprised of nine members who reside or own property
or a business in the study area was formed. Planners asked members
specific questions about how they would handle growth. Also, students
at Smokey Mountain Elementary and Cherokee schools participated in a
youth educational workshop. The firm polled students about what type of
businesses they wanted built in Qualla and what areas should be
preserved.

Community members also participated in a week-long workshop that
explained the growth management plan. Large topographic maps of the
study area lined the walls of the Qualla Community Center for residents
to mark and make suggestions. Residents were able to state their
concerns about the project at the workshop. Some opposed the project
because they said it infringed on their property rights. Others sought
input on how to develop their land.

Information gathered from students and the community was used to
develop the small area plan for the corridor, planners said.

The small area plan identifies 11 character areas. Each area was
studied to determine where industrial, commercial, recreation and
residential construction could occur. The plan also projects the amount
of growth expected for U.S. 441 over the next 10 years. Plans call for
250 to 330 homes; 70,000 square feet of retail development; 8,000
square feet of office developments; and a hotel, a visitor center, and
a new community center.

The plan also addresses the corridor's transportation issues. About
15,000 vehicles travel the corridor each day. Speeding is a common
problem along this four-mile stretch and many locals say it's unsafe.
This thoroughfare can become much safer by adding a plantable median
and installing sidewalks, Rutkowski said.

The development ordinance

The final outcome of the corridor study will be a model development
ordinance. The ordinance will give developers a set of guidelines to
follow such as design standards, parking lot location and landscaping
requirements, explained land planner Matt Noonkester.

He says the ordinance will give the county the authority to tell
developers what to expect if they choose to build in this area.

"It will give developers some predictability," he said.

The ordinance will set a list of prohibited uses, Noonkester said.
Based on community input, businesses like an asphalt plant, a motocross
track and big box stores are attractions local residents do not want to
see along the corridor, he said.

The firm has yet to begin drafting the ordinance. Planners just
received approval of the small area plan by commissioners on April 21.

Commissioners say the development ordinance will benefit the community
immensely.

"I am very pleased with Kimley-Horn," said Commissioner William
Shelton, who lives in Whittier. "I think we made a good selection and
we've done a good job and we've stayed true to our promise to allow the
public decide where they want growth."

Duke Energy's substation

Within the last week county officials began working with Kimley-Horn to
develop the model ordinance.

There is a push to move quickly to get some regulations on paper
because Duke Energy is planning to build a substation along the
corridor.

Duke is currently considering purchasing a piece of property along U.S.
441 and Camp Creek Road, according to a statement released by company
officials.

"We will have a new substation in place to address this demand for
electricity in the next two to four years," said Andy Thompson, Duke
Energy spokesperson. "We will be seeking public input on our plans as
part of this evaluation process. We will communicate the dates and
times for the public to learn more about our plans and provide input at
the appropriate time."

Company officials say Duke's existing supply of electricity in the U.S.
441 area is "becoming overloaded due to the increased growth."

Without an ordinance in place, Duke can build the structure to their
liking, planners say. "There are no regulations on development there,"
Rutkowski said.

Land planners hope to collaborate with Duke officials on the substation
design, Rutkowski said.

"A substation can be very unsightly for an area that's trying to
protect their scenic view," he said.

And since Jackson County and Duke have been at odds for the last
several years over Duke's plan for relicensing its hydropower plants in
the region, relations between the two entities have been strained.

Public pressure made a difference on road

2008-04-17T00:41:00.001-04:00

Public pressure made a difference on road
Smoky Mountain News
April 16, 2008
Opinions

To the Editor:

It appears that common sense has prevailed at the North Carolina
Department of Transportation. We congratulate Joel Setzer and Conrad
Burrell for following the advice of the regional Transportation
Advisory Council and abandoning the Webster section of the Southern
Loop entirely and then going a step further — redefining the remaining
section from Hwy. 23/74 to Hwy. 107 as a "roadway" rather than an
expressway. This is an enormous step in the right direction. Smart
Roads has been involved with this issue since 2001.

We have introduced the community to national experts on transportation
alternatives who challenged the conventional approach of building
bigger and faster highways that consume large amounts of the landscape
without solving the original problem of traffic congestion.

Mr. Walter Kulash, an independent traffic consultant for Smart Roads,
gave a presentation at the Justice Center on Jan. 10, 2008, that
stressed the use and design of an upgraded "network" system of
inter-connecting roads in some ways more challenging to DOT planners
than the construction of "freeways." It appears this advice did not
fall on deaf ears.

Another lesson from the Southern Loop is the value of WCU's input. The
tide changed after Chancellor John Bardo recently clarified WCU's
position: that the University was interested only in an eastbound
connector road (towards Asheville) to accommodate its growing student
population. We still don't understand why it took so long for this
message to be heard by DOT officials.

We would also like to believe that Smart Roads played a critical role.
Officials respond to direct and sustained public pressure. Smart Roads
led that effort and asks for the public's continued support in
sustaining our dialog with DOT and its regional transportation groups.
In the months and years ahead as the "roadway" plan is formulated and
the "network" system to alleviate congestion on Hwy. 107 is developed,
the citizens of Jackson County will continue to need an advocate to
find out what is happening and to support those who are affected.

The Jackson County community deserves more than short-term solutions.
We also need a long-term vision for increased public transportation as
a way to moderate the negative impacts of sprawl development and our
dependence on fossil fuels. The growing cost of fuel and the problems
of environmental change matter in Western North Carolina as much as
anywhere.

Curtis Wood

Smart Roads

Cullowhee

DOT signals fresh look at Southern Loop

2008-04-17T00:39:00.001-04:00

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.

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

2008-04-17T00:36:00.001-04:00

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.

DOT nixes portion of Southern Loop, for now

2008-04-17T00:32:00.001-04:00

DOT nixes portion of Southern Loop, for now
Smoky Mountain News
April 16, 2008
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer

The N.C. Department of Transportation abandoned plans to build the
western half of Jackson County's controversial Southern Loop, signaling
a partial win for opponents to the project.

The DOT has also changed its terminology of the Southern Loop from
"multi-lane freeway" to "roadway." Opponents had previously argued the
DOT's official description of the Southern Loop as a multi-lane freeway
would preclude less intrusive designs, such as a boulevard, and
pigeonhole engineers into a freeway concept.

DOT's decision has members of the Smart Roads Alliance, a grassroots
organization pushing for alternatives to the Southern Loop, feeling
relieved.

"We feel great about DOT's decision," said Jeannette Evans, chairwoman
of Smart Roads Alliance and member of Jackson County's transportation
task force. "We applaud DOT and we are very thankful."

Scrapping half the Loop

The Southern Loop is supposed to relieve traffic on N.C. 107, the main
commercial corridor in Jackson. It was slated to bisect Jackson County,
running from U.S. 23-74 north of Sylva to U.S. 441 south of Dillsboro,
crossing N.C. 107 in between. The DOT has removed half the Southern
Loop from its to-do list, the half between N.C. 107 and U.S. 441. The
decision came from the 14-member N.C. Board of Transportation earlier
this month.

It came at the request of several entities: Conrad Burrell, DOT board
member from the region; Joel Setzer, head of the DOT for the region,
and the Southwestern Rural Planning Transportation Advisory Committee.

"It will allow DOT to look at more critical areas of transportation
needs," Burrell said of the removal.

He says the western section of the Southern Loop is no longer needed
because other road projects will serve to relieve congestion, such as
the paving of South River Road and upgrades to N.C. 116. Both of these
roadways run through Webster.

The biggest congestion relief will come from a new entrance road to
Southwestern Community College off N.C. 107. The road will run from
N.C. 116 behind the school and connect with N.C. 107.

Setzer and Burrell's recommendation comes as a surprise to some. Both
men have said the Southern Loop, presumably the whole thing, was the
only way to reduce traffic congestion on N.C. 107.

"There isn't an alternative that can accommodate the traffic on 107,"
Setzer said in a previous interview.

Doesn't have to be a highway

Board members also voted to change to the Southern Loop's description
from a multi-lane freeway to a roadway, said Setzer.

"It was not accurate for us to say we are going to construct a
multi-lane freeway," he said. "At the time it was just a best guess. We
are trying to look at all different alternatives."

One possible option is constructing a two-lane roadway, Setzer said.

"That is if a road is ever built," he added.

The new project calls for construction of simply a "roadway" from N.C.
107 to U.S. 23-74 east of Sylva, according to a press release from DOT.
The press release was sent to media two weeks ago by the DOT in
Raleigh, however the Smoky Mountain News did not receive it.

NCDOT Press Release:

2008-04-03T17:01:00.000-04:00

TRANSPORTATION BOARD APPROVES CHANGES FOR PROPOSED HIGHWAY PROJECT NEAR SYLVA Thursday, April 03, 2008
Source: NCDOT

RALEIGH — The N.C. Board of Transportation today approved a change to the 2009-2015 State Transportation Improvement Program for the proposed Sylva-Dillsboro Loop (Project R-4745) in Jackson County. The change reduces the length of the project and modifies the project description.

“This change allows NCDOT to focus on the most critical transportation needs of the area, while ensuring that our transportation decisions are helping to provide citizens in Dillsboro and Sylva the best quality of life,” said board member Conrad Burrell of Sylva, who represents Jackson County.

The new project calls for construction of a roadway from N.C. 107 to U.S. 23/74 east of Sylva, dropping the western portion of the project. Also, by changing the description from multi-lane freeway to roadway NCDOT staff is allowed to study other roadway designs. The western portion of the project, from U.S. 23/441 to N.C. 107, has been dropped.

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

***NCDOT***

TAC votes to remove portion of Southern Loop from prioritization list

2008-04-01T00:06:00.000-04:00

TAC votes to remove portion of Southern Loop from prioritization list
The Sylva Herald
March 27, 2008
By Stephanie Salmons

Jackson County officials, along with those from neighboring counties,
met Monday (March 24) for a meeting of the Transportation Advisory
Committee, which is part of the Southwestern Commission's Rural
Planning Organization.

The Southwestern Commission RPO serves Jackson, Cherokee, Clay, Graham,
Macon, and Swain counties and it also includes a Technical Coordinating
Committee.

The TCC serves to make staff-level recommendations to the TAC and
consists of local planners, county and town managers, N.C. Department
of Transportation staff, economic development professionals and local
transportation committee members. The TAC is the policy-making body of
the RPO.

TAC members voted Monday to amend the RPO's prioritized list of
projects for the region. According to RPO planner Ryan Sherby, the TAC
had previously approved the prioritization.

"We have had lot of public contact the RPO concerning the Jackson
County prioritized list of projects, particularly the Southern Loop
portion from U.S. 23/441 to N.C. 107," Sherby said. "Also the elected
officials in the county who serve on the committee recommended that we
consider removing that, the public recommended it and DOT also feels
that portion is not in their priorities."

Sherby recommended to the committee that they formally strike the item
from the prioritized list of projects.

"I will make the motion that we strike that permanently from the list,"
Webster Mayor Steve Gray said.

Bryson City vice mayor Kate Welch voiced concern about the ranking of
projects in Swain County and said that she would like to move
improvement along U.S. 19 from Hughes Branch Road to U.S. 441 in
Cherokee to the top of Swain County's priority list.

Gray amended his motion to include this and the motion was passed
unanimously.

The TAC also approved a planning work program along with a five-year
planning calendar.

Letter: Task force meeting was 'puzzling'

2008-02-28T18:56:00.001-05:00

The Sylva Herald
Letters to the Editor: 02/28/08

Task force meeting was 'puzzling'

To the Editor:

Observing the Feb. 13 Jackson County Transportation Task Force meeting
was a puzzling experience for this taxpayer. While grateful that it was
open to the public, I left wondering what exactly the Department of
Transportation means when they assure us they are responsive to the
community.

The bulk of the meeting focused on developing data for a comprehensive
transportation plan and included the circulation of a proposed
community survey. One might have never guessed that there was a highly
controversial road lurking in the background.

Finally, at the end of the agenda, Walter Kulash, an independent
traffic consultant representing the Smart Roads Alliance, brought up
the subject of the Southern Loop – the "elephant in the room." From his
questions I learned that DOT has already started an environmental study
for the proposed four-lane highway, despite considerable public
opposition as far back as when the Southern Loop was first proposed. I
later learned that this particular project/environmental study comes
with a $2 million price tag.

When Kulash pointed out that such a study could expand its scope of
work to include a consideration of alternatives, DOT (District
Engineer) Joel Setzer answered with something that struck me as
equivalent to "trust me." Setzer suggested that the comprehensive plan
might deal with alternatives "perhaps in 2009." Why in the world should
the public or the task force wait that long for serious consideration
of alternatives? Shouldn't such a study include alternatives now?
Common sense says "yes."

One of the items on the agenda was a draft for a community survey. The
gist of the survey questions aim at whether there is a traffic problem,
where the congestion is and whether we want more efficient roads. No
questions about the public's preference for solutions – do we want a
multi-lane freeway or do we think traffic problems can be solved by
other solutions?

I hope the task force will revise the survey to include such questions.
But even if they do, it remains to be seen whether the DOT will pay
attention to the answers. If the DOT is responsive to community
concerns, that should be reflected in their actions. It isn't enough to
say "trust us."

Pat Montee
Sylva

County residents are invited to complete transportation survey

2008-02-28T16:39:00.000-05:00

County residents are invited to complete transportation survey
The Sylva Herald
February 28, 2008

Jackson County, the Southwestern Rural Transportation Planning
Organization and the N.C. Department of Transportation's Planning
Branch are seeking public input as part of Jackson County's
Comprehensive Transportation Plan.

County residents are asked to complete a short survey to identify
transportation issues and needs, with answers being used to prepare a
county CTP.

During the CTP process, the county's future transportation needs will
be determined, and solutions will be recommended, according to
Southwestern Commission transportation planner Ryan Sherby. Alternative
modes of transportation will also be studied, and the process will
involve local government officials and the public. Public workshops
will also be held in the future to receive additional input on local
transportation issues.

Paper copies of the survey are available at the Jackson County Public
Library, the Jackson County Planning Department, Sylva's town hall, and
the offices of the Southwestern Commission. The survey can also be
downloaded or completed online at

http://www.regiona.org/econdev/transportation-planning.htm.

Those who are unable to access the survey online or pick up a copy may
call Sherby at 586-1962, ext. 214, or e-mail him at ryan@regiona.org.

Surveys should be completed by March 31 and returned to Ryan Sherby,
Southwestern Commission RPO, 125 Bonnie Lane, Sylva, NC 28779.

Comments on the community survey

2008-02-28T16:34:00.000-05:00

On behalf of Smart Roads we wish to make the following observations re:
the current course of the task force. We assume the recent
transportation survey has been developed by NCDOT and the RPO, and
there exists a genuine interest in reaching the public for "input."

We find the deadline [March 31, 2008] for completed surveys to be
somewhat arbitrary. Smart Roads
is planning a transportation "display" at the Public Library in April;
we are also planning to table at the "Greening of the Mountains"
Festival in Sylva [in April], an event that draws thousands of people.
Thus we feel the survey could reach significantly more people if the
deadline were extended until April 31, 2008. Perhaps this could be
discussed and voted on via emails among task force members.

A more pressing problem exists: the task force [and the community
survey] are proceeding as if there is no controversy over the southern
loop. Is the task force going to proceed until June[?], 2009 with a
comprehensive transportation plan that totally ignores the "elephant in
the room?"

We have been told by DOT officials for the past year there is clear
public support for the southern loop; this was later "qualified" by DOT
as "indirect public support." However no official DOT documentation
supports this.

The survey should at least make some attempt to determine
public support or non-support for constructing a "multi-lane freeway."
This could be done in the spirit of a somewhat feckless and general
survey question, something comparable to question # 10-e.g. such as:
"Are there any specific transportation issues that you are particularly
concerned with that are NOT addressed by this survey?" Such a question
might actually give the public an opportunity to deal with real issues
[without mentioning the southern loop].

The current survey is professional, predictable, and serves the purpose
of confirming we have traffic problems.

We feel the addition of such a question is important enough to merit
discussion at the next task force meeting on March 12. If the surveys
have been printed and circulated, then we propose the deadline be
extended until April 31 to allow for a 1/8-1/4 page insert be added for
such a question [in hard copy]. This would be no problem with
electronic surveys. Additional questions should be approved by the task
force.

It is time the DOT/RPO proceed in "partnership" with the county task
force. Please don't tell us it is too early in the "process" to address
this issue.

Respectfully,

Susan Leveille
Roger Turner
Smart Roads Alliance

The Sylva Herald - Letters To The Editor

2008-02-21T14:26:00.001-05:00

The Sylva Herald
February 21, 2008
Letters To The Editor

Sylva needs safer roads

To the Editor:

"Not new roads, smarter roads" reads a popular bumper sticker. The
building of the Southern Loop is under debate, but one fact that will
not be disputed is the need for smarter, safer roads.

As a Franklin resident who spends much time in the Sylva/Cullowhee
area, I am often told by Jackson locals that Franklin is an odd and
even scary town. If Franklin is shady or creepy, I have become
acclimated to it so as not to notice. I do know that I find Sylva, from
N.C. 116 to downtown to be very scary when it is dark and raining. When
Jackson County residents divulge to me their negative feelings toward
Franklin, I say, "hey, at least Franklin has reflectors on its roads."
They seem to stop and reflect, their faces flashing back agreement.

I am terrified driving through a dim, damp Sylva. The painted lane
markers are concealed underneath the reflective surface of rainwater.
If the stripes do reflect the light of headlights, they are not
discernible against the striped myriad of reflected tail-lights,
headlights, traffic lights, store lights and so on. Drivers must strain
to know their locations in the lanes and must trust that the drivers
around them know where they themselves are. Motorists drive into the
lanes of opposing traffic, thinking they are in a turn-lane, thereby
presenting ample opportunity for collisions. Now isn't that scary?

Come on Sylva. Make N.C. 107 a smarter, safer road by making the lanes
clearly visible in all weather situations.

Until Sylva installs road reflectors, I must say if I were to choose
between Franklin and Sylva, Sylva is scarier, at least with respect to
traffic.

Thomas Berger
Franklin

Fix is in' on Southern Loop

To the Editor:

Well it seems that the forces of "progress" are back at it again on
this Southern Loop highway that they are determined to ram down
people's throats. This time, because they were hammered with so much
resistance on their last foray, they have taken the Washington, D.C.,
approach of trying to sneak it in through backroom deals and "private"
meetings. The Smart Roads organization is trying to fight this erosion
of Jackson County, but they need help. I know that if your house is not
on the chopping block this seems like no big deal, but remember, they
can always come for your home on their next pork project. This road is
desired by a select few that will derive financial and political
benefit from a highway ripping a gash in the mountainsides of Sylva and
Webster. Make no mistake, there are some of your elected officials that
are all about this road happening, and it would be prudent to find out
whom, and make sure that they do not get re-elected – ever. They are
putting the wants of a very few over the wants of the community, and
using the power of eminent domain as a crowbar to break in and steal
people's land. In the case of my family, (it's) land we have had for
more than 100 years. Follow the cigar smoke, folks, and find the fat
man.

People have come to Jackson County for decades to escape congestion,
pollution and overcrowding. But now we have some that wish to inject
those things into this beautiful mountain oasis. This road will be of
great benefit to the massive expansion of Western Carolina University.
It will also help out the "mega-bucks" communities being developed
around Bear Lake and in Cashiers. But it is zero benefit to the local
residents. The locals will get the shaft, as usual, in a nice, pretty
package tied up with a bow. Drive up to where I live in New Jersey if
you want to see what you are going to be getting, or drive down to
Atlanta or to Raleigh. Is that what you want? This road will destroy
untold acres of pristine mountain land, and it will destroy the homes,
dreams and memories of hundreds of native citizens who just happen to
be in the way of a few greedy people's "progress." Stand up and fight.
This affects all of us. Don't allow backroom deals and sleazy politics
to destroy something as grand as our mountains. Once you send in the
bulldozers, there is no getting it back.

Frank Huguelet
Pennsville, N.J.

County transportation task force establishes study boundary

2008-02-21T14:19:00.001-05:00

County transportation task force establishes study boundary
The Sylva Herald
February 21, 2008
By Lynn Hotaling
http://thesylvaherald.com/html/county_transportation_task_for.html

Members of Jackson County's transportation task force last week (Feb.
13) identified a study boundary and determined existing roads that will
be included as they proceed toward developing a comprehensive
transportation plan.

Meeting for the first time in six months, the group heard from N.C.
Department of Transportation planner Sarah Smith that delineating a
boundary and identifying the existing thoroughfares to be included are
the necessary first steps that could lead to a Jackson County CTP by
June 2009.

Several present, including Smart Roads Alliance member Susan Leveille
and that group's consultant, Walter Kulash, questioned why planning for
the controversial Southern Loop is proceeding separately from the task
force's discussion of the county's transportation needs.

That road, proposed in 2003 as a link from U.S. 23/74 near Blanton
Branch to U.S. 23/441 near Cagle Branch, is now discussed by DOT
officials in terms of a "link" between U.S. 23/74 and N.C. 107 or Old
Cullowhee Road (S.R. 1002).

Kulash asked why DOT is looking at a new road before the CTP identifies
the county's transportation needs.

District 14 Division Engineer Joel Setzer, who was at the task force
meeting, said it's because planning with regard to the Southern Loop
will take a long time to develop. Also, he said that he doubts there
will be a corridor link with existing roads, and that it's highly
likely some kind of link will be shown to be needed.

When Kulash asked if the DOT's process could be expanded to include
alternatives besides a new road as well as a broader corridor, Setzer
said the DOT's scoping process for the new road is not complete and
that alternatives have not been set.

"The way I intend to present it is that we need to look at constructing
a link," Setzer said. "Does it need to end on old 107 (now Old
Cullowhee Road) or new 107? We're not considering just one thing."

After Kulash stated that Southern Loop planning didn't seem to be a
"transparent process," Setzer offered to have the Southern Loop project
engineers attend a task force meeting to answer questions.

When Leveille asked whether the Southern Loop is proceeding without
input from the task force, Setzer said that planning is taking place.
That planning does not include all the way from U.S. 23/74 to U.S. 441,
however, and only one meeting has been held so far, he said.

"There's nothing hard and fast," Setzer said.

"So that process will proceed with or without this task force?"
Leveille asked.

"It currently is proceeding, and the task force is proceeding," Setzer
said. "There are opportunities for them to mesh – if you proceed on
schedule (and have a CTP) by June 2009, those things will be meshed. By
then we'll know a lot more about the development of (the Southern Loop)
project."

Leveille pointed out that the reason the group, which was first
organized in 2003, is not on schedule is not the fault of the task
force but due to changes in DOT and Region A planning personnel.

"We can't be held up by the DOT again," she said.

County Commissioner William Shelton, who was also present for the
session, said it was the county's intent that the work of the task
force would mesh with DOT planning and that the task force's input
would weigh into the Southern Loop project.

The question of the Southern Loop corridor also came up during the
group's discussion of a study boundary, when Leveille said she thought
any area the DOT is considering as a potential Loop route should be
included in the study area.

Setzer responded that since Cullowhee is the destination and the DOT is
trying to develop a connector from 23/74 to either old or new 107, he
thought the proposed southern project boundary – the N.C. 107/N.C. 281
intersection – "is far enough south to capture the link."

The study boundary approved Feb. 13 is larger than an earlier one
identified during the task force's first meeting in 2004. It includes
all of U.S. 441 from Cherokee to the Macon County line and extends out
23/74 to its intersection with Skyland Drive at Sugarloaf. As mentioned
above, it extends out 107 to Tuckasegee.

Roads listed by the task force in its study include all those within
the boundary that are not dead ends – N.C. 107, North and South River
roads, Old Cullowhee Road, N.C. 116, Little Savannah Road, Cope Creek
Road and Centennial Drive.

Task force member Jay Coward asked whether Cane Creek, Locust Creek and
Fairview roads should be part of the study; town of Sylva Planning
Director Jim Aust said they should not be, because they are currently
dead ends.

Such roads could become connecting roads under a plan developed by Aust
as a possible alternative to the eastern portion of the Southern Loop.
The Smart Roads group and Kulash have endorsed that plan, which
includes construction of sections of new two-lane roads to connect
existing roads and create travel alternatives to N.C. 107. The Aust
plan was not discussed during Wednesday's meeting.

With the task force's approval of the study boundary and network roads,
Smith said DOT planners will continue with data collection with regard
to those roads.

"Right now we're looking at the current traffic and current capacity,"
she said. "Once we have the current capacity, we'll look at future
traffic projections to see what to do to address it."

That data should be available at the group's next meeting, which is
scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 12, in Room A-227 of the Justice
Center, Smith said.

The other major topic discussed Feb. 13 was a survey that's planned to
gather additional public input on residents' traffic concerns.

According to Smith, DOT planners have found that public information
sessions work better once some recommendations are made, but a survey
would be a way to gauge the public's current feelings.

Plans are to post the survey online and have copies available at town
halls and libraries. Target dates for the survey to be available are
March 1 through March 31.

The proposed survey asks respondents to identify the community they
live in, state their race or ethnicity and give their age. It asks them
to rate the importance of transportation goals such as increased public
transportation options, economic growth, community and rural culture
preservation, environmental protection, faster travel times, service of
special needs and increased transportation choices.

Other questions ask if respondents currently use an alternate route to
avoid N.C. 107 and whether they would use sidewalks, off-road trails or
greenways, off-road bicycle routes, or buses, if such options were
available.

In addition, the survey will ask residents to identify locations where
they experience traffic congestion on a regular basis, when the
congestion occurs and possible reasons for the congestion, i.e. rush
hour, school bus pick-up/drop-off, lack of a left turn lane.

DOT accused of convoluted planning

2008-02-21T14:16:00.000-05:00

DOT accused of convoluted planning
Smoky Mountain News
February 20, 2008
By Becky Johnson • Staff Writer
http://smokymountainnews.com/issues/02_08/02_20_08/fr_dot_accused.html

Opponents to the Southern Loop again urged the N.C. Department of
Transportation to halt planning for the new highway last week during a
meeting of the Jackson County Transportation Task Force.

They asked the DOT to hold off until the task force finished its
long-rang transportation plan — a plan that could reveal new solutions
to traffic congestion other than the Southern Loop. The DOT is backing
the development of the long-range transportation plan. But meanwhile,
it has also launched a $2.2 million planning process for the Southern
Loop.

An independent traffic engineer, Walter Kulash, questioned the
seemingly diametrically opposed planning tracks. Opponents fear the
Southern Loop will become a fait accomplis if planning gets too far
along, and that alternative solutions proposed in the transportation
plan won't get an honest look.

"I'm curious why we are continuing with a process for a very specific
type of solution," said Kulash, who has been enlisted by the Smart
Roads Alliance in its quest for alternative solutions to the Southern
Loop. "Why are we embarking on a study confined to a multi-lane freeway
in a fairly narrow geographic corridor while we are going through a
comprehensive transportation plan?"

Sarah Smith, a DOT staffer assigned to the task force, replied that the
two planning tracks — the Southern Loop planning on one hand and the
comprehensive transportation plan on the other — are two different
processes.

That was Kulash's point: the two processes seemed divorced when they
shouldn't be.

Joel Setzer, head of the DOT for the region, replied that it was a safe
bet to continue with the Southern Loop planning rather than wait on the
outcome of the transportation plan. In all likelihood, the
transportation plan will call for something akin to the Southern Loop —
a new link between N.C. 107 and U.S. 23-74, Setzer said. It will be
good to have a jump start on the planning since it is going to take so
long, Setzer said.

"I think it is highly likely after you've done the analysis that some
kind of link will be shown to be needed," Setzer said. "It is somewhat
of a gamble to proceed with project development, but project
development will take years to complete. The concept of this link is
going to take a long time to develop."

By then, the comprehensive transportation plan will have caught up,
Setzer said.

Conrad Burrell, a Jackson County resident who is the regional
representative on the state DOT board, was at the meeting with Setzer
but did not speak.

Susan Leveille, a representative of the Smart Roads Alliance on the
task force, asked Setzer if the planning for the Southern Loop was
proceeding without input by the task force.

"Unless you have given any input I don't know about to the project
engineer, the planning is proceeding," Setzer replied. The planning is
largely being handled out of Raleigh, with the local DOT branch serving
in an advisory capacity only.

County Commissioner William Shelton, a member of the task force, said
county leaders want to see the comprehensive transportation plan done
first — before the Southern Loop planning.

"The way I heard it just now is there is a chance that these two things
will mesh, and a chance they may not mesh," Shelton said at the
meeting. "I think we need to do everything in our power to make sure
they do."

Shelton reminded the room of the county commissioners' resolution last
fall calling on the DOT to place a comprehensive transportation list at
the top of its to-do list, ahead of Southern Loop planning. County
leaders were specifically asked to weigh in on the DOT's list of
priorities. The county commissioners unanimously ranked the
comprehensive transportation plan above the Southern Loop, Shelton
said.

"When we suggested this comprehensive transportation plan be brought
forward as a top priority, our intention was that it would not be two
separate things," Shelton said.

Shelton said people need to know whether the comprehensive
transportation plan will mean anything.

"The public perception is that this is a done deal. I think they need
to be told in layman's language that it is or isn't and whether or not
this comprehensive study is going to have an impact on the Southern
Loop," Shelton said.

Not everyone on the task force saw a problem with Southern Loop
planning and a comprehensive transportation plan being developed
concurrently. Dr. Cecil Groves, president of Southwestern Community
College, said the two will in all likelihood mesh. Groves said it is
wise to get a jumpstart on Southern Loop planning. The planning will
take so long as it is, additional delays should be avoided.

"By then you really have a mess brewing on 107," Groves said.

Task force tangle

Setzer said he had hoped the comprehensive transportation plan would be
done by now, then there wouldn't be a timing problem that everyone
seems so concerned about. But, it's not too late for the task force to
influence the planning process for the Southern Loop, he said. The
comprehensive transportation plan will take a year to complete.
Planning for the Southern Loop will still be in the early stages by
then, Setzer said.

"If your work is able to proceed on schedule and be close to 2009, and
you progress in your work, those two processes will be meshed
together," Setzer told the task force.

Leveille seemed offended. She said the task force would be delighted to
proceed in its work if DOT would stop holding them up. The task force
has been stalled by a revolving door of DOT staffers assigned to
oversee the task force, she said. The current staffer makes number
four. In between changes of the guard, the task force was put on hold,
sometimes for as long as a year. Jay Coward, a member of the task
force, has accused the DOT of purposeful "evasion and delay" of the
task force.

"To be held up for five years because the DOT couldn't join us, I trust
that won't happen again," Leveille said. "There are enough of us here
with good minds that we can move forward with something."

On the other hand, task force members did not take the initiative to
meet in the absence of a DOT staffer to oversee them. That's largely
due to a presumption that the DOT controlled the task force, down to
what could and couldn't be discussed at meetings, making the staffer in
charge feel like a handler rather than facilitator.

All in the wording

Kulash didn't dispute that N.C. 107 — the commercial drag and commuter
route in Jackson County — needs a new link. But not necessarily a
multi-lane freeway, he said. Kulash suggested broadening the scope of
the Southern Loop planning so the DOT wouldn't pigeonhole itself.

"I understand you have to get started on something now but can that
something have a broader scope?" Kulash asked.

Setzer said not to worry. The scope of the project hasn't been set yet,
he said.

Kulash questioned that assertion, however, pointing to a DOT memo
soliciting consulting firms to oversee the Southern Loop planning
process. The memo describes the job as "a multi-lane facility on new
location" with "controlled access."

"That knocks out anything other than multilane and any use of existing
roads," Kulash said. "If I was a consultant — and I am a consultant — I
would look at this and say 'You are asking me to design a multi-lane on
a new location.'"

Setzer said that wording was simply used to solicit consultants. Before
the consultants get started, they will get new marching orders. That
hasn't happened yet, he said.

In that case, Kulash asked Setzer to change the wording so as not to
bias the consultants. Better yet, Kulash asked if the task force could
participate in developing the wording to ensure that a "full and fair
range of alternatives" are studied by the consultants.

Setzer said it would.

"The DOT is not focused on just the alternatives that everyone says
they are," Setzer said. "There is nothing hard and fast and there is
nothing off the table."

Kulash was still skeptical, again pointing to the language in the memo
seeking consultants.

"I don't see a transparent process so that the task force members can
satisfy themselves that it is going forward with a sufficiently broad
scope," Kulash said.

A consulting firm for the Southern Loop has already been selected, KO
Associates out of Raleigh. The DOT has nearly finalized its contract
with KO, and the language is indeed less specific than the original
memo, according to Michael Penney, contract management engineer with
the DOT in Raleigh.

"The contract isn't written so specifically that it can't evolve. It
doesn't stipulate the type of facility," Penney said in a phone
interview.

The actual contract with KO describes the job this way: "The consultant
will perform project development associated with the proposed Southern
Loop around Sylva-Dillsboro from U.S. 23-74 to U.S. 441."

That leaves it open for the consultants to consider a boulevard-type
road, for example — although that's not the impression Penney said he
had of the project.

"If you are trying to move traffic from point A to point B most
expeditiously with the least amount of congestion then a boulevard
doesn't achieve that," Penney said. "It sort of depends on what is
driving the process."

Penney said his impression of the job was to design a new highway that
would move large volumes of traffic quickly. That concept was laid out
in the county's old comprehensive transportation plan developed in the
early 1990s, Penney said.

"Based on what we were provided, which was from a previous
comprehensive plan, that's what we were told," Penney said. "If they
change the comprehensive plan that would have to be taken into
consideration."

The real marching orders for the Southern Loop planning — the holy
grail of the planning process so to speak — will be the "purpose and
need" statement. That has yet to be developed, but once it is, it
becomes the litmus test by which everything else is judged. If an
alternative doesn't meet the "purpose and need," it won't be
considered.

If the "purpose and need" is broad — such as reducing traffic
congestion on N.C. 107 — it opens the door for all sorts of
alternatives to be considered. If the purpose and need statement is
narrow — such as build a new road around Sylva and Dillsboro — it will
confine the options that are considered.

Setzer said the "purpose and need" statement likely won't be drafted
until the fall.

What is the Southern Loop?

The Southern Loop is a proposed freeway that will bisect Jackson County
with an interchange over N.C. 107 somewhere between Cullowhee and
Sylva. It will tie into U.S. 23-74 somewhere north of Sylva and U.S.
441 somewhere south of Dillsboro.

What is a comprehensive transportation plan?

After five years of various hold-ups, the N.C. Department of
Transportation is finally embarking on a comprehensive transportation
plan for Jackson County.

In a nutshell, the plan will predict future traffic congestion and come
up with solutions.

"We'll have a number for future traffic, and we'll have the carrying
capacity for the roads. What roads in the future are going to go over
that capacity? That's where we have to come up with solutions — to
address those roads that are over capacity," explained Sarah Smith, a
DOT staffer in Raleigh assigned to the comprehensive transportation
plan.

Solutions could mean new roads or improving traffic flow of existing
roads. Solutions could mean the controversial Southern Loop freeway or
smarter intersection designs. The Jackson County Transportation Task
Force will serve as an advisory board during the process, but the plan
will ultimately be developed by DOT staff in Raleigh.

Residents have two chances to influence the transportation plan. The
first is by filling out a survey in March. The second is public
workshops in late-summer. Watch The Smoky Mountain News for how to
participate in both.

Overview of January 10th Public Information Meeting

2008-02-06T13:40:00.001-05:00

> Dear Smart Roads Supporter:
>
> Thank you for coming to our Jan. 10 presentation on "Alternatives to
> the Southern Loop" at the Jackson County Justice Center. We estimate
> 200 people attended.
>
> We are at the beginning of a struggle that will determine whether many
> of us keep our homes, businesses, land, and rural landscape. This is
> really about the future of Jackson County, and involves all who live
> here.
>
> Our goals are achievable: to hold DOT accountable to its mission for
> community involvement (including the rejuvenation of the Jackson Co.
> Transportation Task Force) throughout its decision making process; to
> keep the public informed; and to demand DOT consider and implement
> viable alternatives to the southern loop.
>
> Walter Kulash, an independent traffic engineer, proposed one viable
> alternative on Jan. 10: by upgrading existing two-lane roadways we can
> create a "network" of roads that can alleviate local traffic on 107
> and possibly connect WCU's campus to US 23/74 without using a
> multi-lane freeway. Furthermore, Avram Friedman and Odell Thompson
> showed that public transportation can also play an important role in
> reducing traffic on 107 and meeting the future transportation needs of
> the WCU campus.
>
> We invoked the N.C. Public Records Act in Nov., 2007 to obtain all
> documents (since 2003) from District 14 DOT pertaining to the southern
> loop. We have reviewed this documentation and conclude that DOT
> followed its own agenda in placing the southern loop on a regional
> "priority" list of transportation projects. There was no public
> "process." This will be challenged.
>
> We have recently learned that DOT has authorized a $200,000
> Environmental Impact Study for eight miles of the southern loop,
> presumably the "funded" segment from US 23/74 to NC Hwy. 107. The
> beginning of this study is a flashing red light for us:
>
> $160,000 is from federal transportation funds. It is an important step
> in advancing this project. It is crucial that we make our opposition
> loud and clear to our elected representatives at the local, state, and
> federal levels NOW.
>
> In our next communication we will list the names of key officials who
> need to be contacted. Please consider writing or calling them. It is
> also important that your neighbors understand how far along this
> project has been advanced without input from the public. The southern
> loop can be stopped, but not by a small group. Our success depends on
> broad-based and clear opposition, starting with you.
>
> Thank you for being part of our great success on Jan. 10.

Smart Roads files complaint over Southern Loop project

2008-02-06T13:23:00.001-05:00

Smart Roads files complaint over Southern Loop project

The Macon County News
January 31, 2008
By Jessica Richardson, Staff Writer
http://www.maconnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2052&Itemid=34

Citizens group accuses NCDOT of deception and secrecy

Two routes, a northern and a southern have been proposed for the
Southern Loop that would attempt to bypass traffic particularly from
WCU off of 107. The eastern section of the loop connecting to 23/74 has
already received funding.

Following a recent cancellation of a transportation task force meeting,
the Smart Roads Alliance issued a formal public comment to N.C.
Department of Transportation regarding its controversial Southern Loop.
The comment was issued formally against the State Transportation
Improvement Plan and received on Jan. 15 by a project oversight manager
in Raleigh.

In the comment submitted by Smart Roads' member John Chinners, the
alliance outlines the background of the project and continues to stress
an alternative to the Southern Loop that could potentially require
rights-of-way to more than 120 residences and nearly 20 businesses.
Smart Roads makes a demand that alternatives to the multi-lane highway
be considered as viable and a cost comparison be done.

"We demand that DOT clearly identify alternatives to the Southern Loop
and enlarge the 'scope of work' for its Federal Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) to include such alternatives, including direct and
indirect potential impacts to the human and natural environments. We
also demand a cost comparison for the construction and mitigation of a
multi-lane freeway versus the upgrading of existing roads around 107
and/or an upgraded two-lane road nearer Western Carolina University
linking its campus and student traffic eastbound to Hwy 23/74."

Since its inception, the community-based organization has promoted
alternatives to the loop or bypass. As Chinners explains, the group has
worked with the transportation task force as well as local
municipalities in that effort. The Jackson County Board of
Commissioners created the task force in 2003, he said, with the task of
developing a comprehensive transportation plan to find solutions to
traffic congestion on 107. Solutions have included access management
strategies.

The Southern Loop is a planned four-lane bypass of 107 that would have
limited points of access. The highway would connect traffic to 23/74
East near Blanton Branch and 23/441 in Dillsboro. The road would
connect to 107 around South River Road and would feasibly reroute
traffic from Western Carolina University and possibly from Southwestern
Community College.

Also in 2003, Webster, Dillsboro, Sylva and Forest Hills passed
resolutions against the bypass. Smart Roads claims that "despite this
clear opposition, DOT proceeded with its planning for the southern
loop, which was placed on a 'prioritized' list of projects in 2006 by
Conrad Burrell and Joel Setzer."

Division 14 engineer Joel Setzer admits he and Burrell, division board
chair, told NCDOT that the road should be funded and cited continuing
through with a thoroughfare plan adopted by county leaders in the '90s
and noted that NCDOT is charged with addressing growth and increased
traffic. According to Setzer, though, the comprehensive transportation
plan is the current approach to the county road planning and that it
will consider other alternatives, even bussing, bicycling and
pedestrian paths. Until that plan is complete, NCDOT is moving forward
with the Southern Loop.

Little has been seen in the form of results from the relationship
between NCDOT and the Jackson County Transportation Task Force. The
lack of communication may stem from the fact that those assigned to the
task force have been based out of Raleigh and that person has changed
at least three times over the past five years. Setzer insisted that
community input will still play a large role in shaping the Southern
Loop project and other roads in the county.

Smart Roads hosted a public hearing on Jan. 10 that brought engineer
Walter Kulash to discuss a network of connections as an alternative to
the bypass.

According to the Smart Roads, "the concept for a network system was
first conceived by the Town of Sylva Planning Department in 2003," but
DOT considered the proposed alternatives and expansion of existing
roads as not feasible.

Smart Roads has accused NCDOT of moving forward with the plan despite
public opposition. According to Chinners, in November 2007, the group
invoked the N.C. Public Records Act to obtain all the documents from
District 14 pertaining to the Southern Loop and the task force. In the
comment, Chinners writes, "After reviewing this documentation we have
concluded: nothing in the documentation shows indirect public support
or any record of official meetings in support of the Southern Loop."

Smart Roads also claims that during a taped two-hour long recorded
discussion with Setzer that the decision to place the loop on a
priority list was based on "indirect public support and closed
breakfast meetings with local officials." Setzer claims that
information misrepresents him and has been used purposefully to mislead
the public.

DOT did recently place 107 on a list for a feasibility study, which,
according to Setzer, would take into consideration what would need to
be done to fix the road to carry projected 2025 traffic.

Before a Smart Roads Alliance public hearing two weeks ago, local
residents reviewed a map showing two potential routes for the Southern
Loop and wondered how their homes or businesses would be affected.
Such a feasibility study was conducted in 2003 on the Southern Loop
project, but it focused on two alternate routes for the road. That
study claims that the road is needed to relieve traffic congestion on
107 and US 23 Business in Sylva and Dillsboro. According to that
report, Jackson County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution in
2000 requesting an investigation of options to relieve traffic. So far,
DOT's suggestions have been limited to the proposed bypass.

As the feasibility study points out, the thoroughfare plan was adopted
by Sylva and Dillsboro in 1994, but Smart Roads focuses on the fact
that those same municipalities (as well as the county) have since
requested alternatives.

As Smart Roads member Jeannette Evans noted at the recent public
hearing, $7 million has already been designated by the state to begin
right-of-way purchase for half the road in 2010- 2013. According to a
map released by NCDOT, that funding would go towards the eastern half
of the roadway from where it intersects with 107 around River Road and
connects with 23/74 East near Blanton Branch.

In a recent interview, Setzer said the connection to 23/74 is a higher
priority in comparison to the section connecting to Dillsboro. "The
question is do they need to connect all the way to 441 or build the
connection to old 107 and stop?" He added that the second section may
not be needed for another 20 years or so. He estimated the cost of the
southern loop to be approximately $220 million.

NCDOT has also recently hired KO Associates to conduct an environmental
impact assessment at the price of $200,000 on the Southern Loop
corridor. Smart Roads concludes that NCDOT's efforts to move forward
with the project shows that decisions have been made without fair
public input.

"There has been a clear record of deception and secrecy by NCDOT over
the past four years re: this project, including the willful exclusion
or non-consideration of viable alternatives, specifically any
consideration of a network system of roads either parallel or around
107 that would facilitate local traffic patterns," said Chinners.

Just in Oct. 2007, DOT came under fire at the state level for a study
conducted by McKinsey and Co. regarding how to improve the agency's
accountability. The study came at a price of $3.6 million and was
criticized for a cloak of secrecy surrounding it and many sections of
the study being blacked out. Republican leaders like Senate leader Phil
Berger responded to the study. Said Berger, "North Carolina's
transportation bureaucracy is in desperate need of reform ... At this
point, most people are asking why the DOT required the expenditure of
$3.6 million for consultants in order to do those things that any
objective observer would have recommended. It is past time for the DOT
to cut through the red tape and instead, utilize the tax dollars
provided to the department to address the road needs of our State."

N.C. State Treasurer and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Richard
Moore recently set the goal of trying to curb political influence at
the DOT. He apparently wants to see more transparency in setting the
agency's road-building priorities and called for a publicly available
analysis of projects. He also wants to ban political donations and
political fundraising by the agency's nine-member board, according to
columnist Scott Mooneyham.

In Macon County, residents seemed equally surprised as those in Sylva
when the DOT held a public meeting last fall on four alternatives for a
Siler Road extension. Although the agency claims the cause for the road
is to provide better access to SCC's Macon Campus, documents indicate
an interest to serve private development as well. Macon County Board of
Commissioners issued a resolution opposing many aspects of the proposed
roadways. According to DOT representatives, the Siler Road extension
project will now go before environmental state agencies for review.

For more information regarding Smart Roads Alliance visit

www.smartroads.org

Those interested can make comments on the project through NCDOT's
website, www.ncdot.org. Be sure to note when making comments the number
of the Southern Loop project, R-4745 Division 14.

DOT contacts regarding Jackson County roads include DOT District
Engineer Joel Setzer at jsetzer@dot.state.nc.usThis email address is
being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
or Conrad Burrell c/o NCDOT – District 14 Sylva Office 253 Webster Rd.
Sylva, NC 28779.

Planning Consultant for Jackson County is Zaneta G. Adme, 1554 Mail
Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699, 919-715-5737 ext. 62,
zgadme@dot.state.nc.usThis email address is being protected from spam
bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Rural Planning Organizer Ryan Sherby can also be contacted at 125
Bonnie Lane Sylva, NC 29779, 828-586-1962 ext. 214. The Rural Planning
Organization acts as a liaison to the DOT and makes suggestions based
on input at rural planning committee meetings.

A Jackson County Transportation Committee meeting is planned for
Wednesday, Feb. 13, at 1 p.m. at the Jackson County Justice Center.

DOT must clarify Southern Loop alternatives

2008-02-01T00:33:00.001-05:00

DOT must clarify Southern Loop alternatives
January 8, 2008
Smoky Mountain News
http://smokymountainnews.com/issues/01_08/01_30_08/op_edlet_dot.html

Editor's note: These comments were submitted to the N.C. Department of
Transportation by the Jackson County Smart Roads Alliance during the
DOT's annual public hearing on proposed road projects throughout the
region.

These comments are on behalf of the Jackson County Smart Roads
Alliance, a member of the Jackson County Transportation Task Force.

The Task Force was created by the Jackson County Board of Commissioners
in November 2003 to develop a comprehensive transportation plan and to
identify solutions for fixing N.C. 107. This included the use of access
management strategies for relieving traffic congestion.

At the time there were official resolutions in place from four
municipalities (Webster, Dillsboro, Sylva, and Forest Hills) opposed to
any further consideration or planning of the southern loop. Despite
this clear opposition, DOT proceeded with its planning for the Southern
Loop, which was placed on a "prioritized" list of projects in 2007 by
Conrad Burrell and Joel Setzer. According to Mr. Setzer, on Nov. 26,
2007, (during a recorded two-hour discussion at the DOT office in Sylva
with Setzer and Smart Roads), the decision to place the Southern Loop
on this list was based on "indirect public support," closed "breakfast
meetings" with local officials, and the lack of progress by the Jackson
County Task Force in developing a comprehensive plan.

In November 2007 Smart Roads invoked the North Carolina Public Records
Act to obtain all documentation from District 14 DOT pertaining to the
Southern Loop from the creation of the Task Force (2003) to November
2006. After reviewing this documentation we have concluded: nothing in
the documentation shows indirect public support or any record of
"official" meetings in support of the Southern Loop. Any reference to
the task force was in two short emails.

We now learn that DOT hired KO Associates in 2006 to do a $200,000
environmental impact assessment for the Southern Loop corridor, and yet
DOT continues to tell us there is no defined or established corridor.
Thus there has been a clear record of deception and secrecy by DOT over
the past four years regarding this project, including the willful
exclusion or non-consideration of viable alternatives, specifically any
consideration of a network system of roads either parallel (to) or
around 107 that would facilitate local traffic patterns.

The concept for a network system was first conceived by the Town of
Sylva Planning Department in 2003. The upgrading and expansion of
existing roads was clearly identified. However, without any known
analysis from DOT this expansion of existing roads was deemed
"infeasible."

We demand that DOT clearly identify alternatives to the Southern Loop
and enlarge the "scope of work" for its Federal Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) to include such alternatives, including direct and
indirect potential impacts to the human and natural environments. We
also demand a cost comparison for the construction and mitigation of a
multi-lane freeway versus the upgrading of existing roads around 107 or
an upgraded two-lane road nearer WCU, linking its campus and student
traffic eastbound to U.S. 23/74.

Respectfully submitted,

John Chinners

Jackson County Smart Roads Alliance

Smart Roads event discusses alternatives to Southern Loop

2008-01-17T15:44:00.000-05:00

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."

Residents hear about alternatives for Southern Loop

2008-01-16T22:40:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-16T22:35:00.001-05:00

'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.

DOT road hearings have potential for controversy

2008-01-09T22:28:00.000-05:00

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.

Competing road studies likely for N.C. 107

2008-01-02T21:42:00.001-05:00

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

2008-01-02T13:32:00.000-05:00

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
>

Editorial: Compromise is needed on local traffic issues (Sylva Herald 12/20/07)

2007-12-20T14:29:00.000-05:00

The Sylva Herald Editorial 12/20/07

Compromise is needed on local traffic issue

The debate about what to do about traffic problems on N.C. 107 has gone on far too long. If we’re not careful, we’ll end up like the situation in Buncombe County where disagreement about how many lanes the I-26 connector should have and what type bridge should be built over the French Broad River have pushed construction back years while traffic bottlenecks worsen.

The time has come for compromise from all interested parties, including county and town governments, the N.C. Department of Transportation and the Smart Roads Coalition.

For starters, DOT should remove the segment of the proposed Southern Loop from N.C. 107 to U.S. 23/441 from any future planning.

At the same time, Southern Loop opponents, including the Smart Roads group, should accept that the segment of the proposed highway from 107 to U.S. 23/74 is a viable option that must be considered.

The 107-441 segment is not needed since roads such as N.C. 116, North and South River roads and Old Settlement Road provide alternative routes.

No such alternate route exists for traffic going from 107 to 23/74.

Building only the one segment addresses the Smart Roads argument that the road would hurt downtown Sylva. A plan by DOT Division Engineer Joel Setzer for the new highway to have full access control takes care of the concern that the road would lead to sprawl.

We’re not endorsing the connector road yet. Before making a decision, we want to see projected traffic counts to decide if the improvement to traffic congestion on 107 would be worth the millions of dollars needed to build the route. At the same time, we are strong in our belief that the road deserves to be on the table as the discussion moves forward.

Also deserving of a fair hearing is a proposal by Sylva Planning Director Jim Aust to build a series of two-lane roads to connect with existing roads as a way of moving some local traffic off 107. We’re concerned that proposal could lead to increased traffic congestion near Smoky Mountain High and Fairview Elementary schools as part of a new network that would run from Hospital Road to Fairview Road. However, that shouldn’t be a deal breaker.

One thing we don’t favor is a roundabout at the intersection of N.C. 107 and U.S. 23 Business. It doesn’t appear that even a two-lane roundabout would be enough to handle traffic at that busy intersection and could make a bad situation even worse.

A better plan would be to build another lane entering town from 107.

County commissioners have shown the willingness to take the lead on other tough issues. Working together with officials from Sylva, Dillsboro, Webster and Forest Hills, as well as the DOT and Smart Roads, we believe commissioners could put us on a course to an acceptable solution. If everyone enters the discussion with an open mind, individuals may not get exactly what they want but we think a workable plan could be agreed upon by 90 percent of county residents.

N.C. 107 has been a festering wound for too long, and a Band-Aid approach won’t work. We need bold steps to provide traffic relief for years to come.

Letter to the Editor (Sylva Herald 12/20/07)

2007-12-20T14:27:00.001-05:00

Southern Loop should not be built

To the Editor:

I saw the notice of the public information meeting on Jan. 10. Sadly, I will be unable to attend but am sending my views to all parties.

I am against the construction of the Southern Loop as planned by the N.C. Department of Transportation. As a property owner in Webster I will be directly affected by construction of the loop as planned. I joined the previous effort of the Smart Roads group to stop construction of the loop and was hopeful that Jackson County officials would pursue other alternatives to deal with the traffic problems on N.C. 107. No other alternatives have been pursued that I can detect. If the changes discussed to make 107 more pedestrian and bike friendly, slow down traffic but keep it moving through traffic circles or lights that are actually timed, and extend or widen present alternate routes had occurred, we might not be revisiting the Southern Loop construction.

A sidewalk was recently built to connect the Webster sidewalk to the corner of 107 at Ingle’s. It is getting use already, and I plan to use it myself. The traffic circle at the entrance to Western Carolina University works beautifully to keep long lines of traffic moving in and out of campus smoothly at peak hours. There is a growing national movement to build streets that allow pedestrians, bicycles, public transit, and cars to safely share roads. More information on such trends is available online at www.completestreets.org.

As gas prices rise, having this type of access to roads makes communities safer and more desirable as places to live for citizens of all ages.

The Southern Loop caters to big money, big trucks, and ever more cars. I also note it seems to intersect NC 107 where there have been rumors for years of some type of big box store – Super Wal-Mart? Super Ingle’s? Home Depot? A strip mall with Applebee’s or other businesses catering more to WCU students? Who stands to gain the most financially from the construction of this road? Certainly not any of the property owners listed in (the advertisement) in last week’s paper.

NCDOT seems determined to destroy our property, property values, and the rural landscape here. I ask that NCDOT pursue reasonable alternatives to another four-lane. I ask that they respond to citizens rather than ignore us.

Phyllis Jarvinen
Webster

Downtown Sylva group joins opposition to Southern Loop

2007-12-20T14:23:00.000-05:00

Downtown Sylva group joins opposition to Southern Loop

The Sylva Herald

December 20, 2007

By Stephanie Salmons and Carey Phillips

The Downtown Sylva Association went on record in opposing the proposed Southern Loop and supporting an alternative supported by the Smart Roads Coalition. That action came during the group’s Dec. 12 meeting.

Smart Roads members Roger Turner and Harold Messer, along with Susan Leveille, the group’s representative on the Jackson County Transportation Task Force – all of whom are against the proposed road – spoke to the DSA board asking the organization to oppose the road based on the effect it could have on downtown.

Initial plans indicate 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.

The Smart Roads Coalition contends that such a bypass would be detrimental to downtown Sylva.

“You’re surrounded by black top,” Messer said. “What’s going to bring people into Sylva, Dillsboro and Webster when they can drive on around you and go to Asheville, Atlanta or anywhere?”

Messer said the thing that troubles him about the merchants and the economy in Sylva is that “it’s a known fact that people will drive around rather than come into the town.”

Turner said even if people still drive into Sylva, “you still have that terrible intersection.” Turner was referring to the intersection located where N.C. 107 and U.S. 23 Business meet.

“This thing is a glorified nightmare of all the problems it’s going to create trying to save 15 seconds at a red light at Bogart’s,” Messer said.

According to Messer, a two-lane roundabout would help relieve traffic at that intersection.

“They say the roundabout will not work and we cannot afford to disturb the businesses that are there,” Messer said. “The Southern Loop affects 43 business, numerous homes and it doesn’t impact that intersection.

Turner pointed out that roundabouts in Waynesville and Cullowhee work well.

Smart Roads supports a plan developed by Sylva Planning Director Jim Aust that would include a series of two-lane roads connecting with existing roads.

“Aust told me he fixed the roads in his plan where they would have the lowest impact on homes and property,” Messer said. “The DOT doesn’t care about our heritage; they’re interested in building roads.”

Turner encouraged DSA board members to address their concerns to Sylva’s town board and ask Sylva board members to re-examine the issue.

DOT 14th Division Engineer Joel Setzer told the Herald last Thursday that plans are in the works for a feasibility study on N.C. 107.

“People want to know what it would take to fix 107,” Setzer said. “We want people to know what fixing 107 would mean, and right now I don’t know.”

The section of the Southern Loop from 107 to 23/74 is on the current DOT Transportation Improvement Plan with right of way acquisition to start in 2013.

Setzer said he and 14th Division DOT board member Conrad Burrell had always considered that segment of the road the most important. Setzer said he envisions a two-lane road on a four-lane right-of-way with full access control with no driveways.

“The Jackson County Smart Roads group says there would be sprawl,” Setzer said. “When I met with them I told them there would be full access control.”

Unlike the Smart Roads Coalition, Setzer is not sold on the plan proposed by Aust.

“That wouldn’t do anything for the (107-Business 23) intersection,” he said. “It also would dump quite a bit of traffic on Fairview Road in an area that is already congested.”

Setzer said a roundabout at the intersection, which he said is one of the busiest west of Asheville, would not work.

“The biggest problem is the crossover traffic coming down the hill (on Asheville Highway) and traffic trying to get into town (from 107),” he said. “If you didn’t have that, a roundabout might work.”

Setzer said Reuben Moore, DOT division operations engineer, had looked at the intersection and determined that the only option would be a “flyover bridge” carrying traffic from Asheville Highway onto 107.

“That would cause the road to be shut down for about a year,” Setzer said. “I don’t think that would work well.”

The latest available DOT traffic count at the intersection is from 2005 and shows an average of 40,000 vehicles a day. That compares to 4,000 for the roundabout at the main entrance to Western Carolina University and 11,000 for the roundabout at Ratcliffe Cove Road and Business 23 in Waynesville.

Ron Watson, Setzer’s predecessor as division engineer, told the Herald in 2003 that DOT guidelines showed a two-lane roundabout could handle 25,000-30,000 vehicles per day.

Moore said last Thursday that DOT was now “more sophisticated” in how it determines the traffic a roundabout can handle, and considers the count on a case-by-case basis depending on how much traffic uses each round entering an intersection. He said a roundabout has not been totally ruled out.

Moore said since there are two left turns, those vehicles would have to travel three-fourths of the way around the circle, which would reduce the capacity of a roundabout at that location. He said at best the traffic count would likely be at or near the upper limit for what a two-lane roundabout could handle.

Moore said the only two-lane roundabout he is aware of in North Carolina is near Salem College in Winston-Salem. Even it does not have two lanes all the way through the roundabout, he said.

When asked about the possibility of adding another lane coming into town from 107 to relieve congestion, Setzer said that might work now, but it would not be able to handle the projected increase in traffic.

DOT's Conrad Burrell and Joel Setzer ignore public; moving forward with plan to build Southern Loop against public outcry and towns' wishes

2007-12-13T15:35:00.001-05:00

Burrell, Setzer plug plan for Southern Loop
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.

Burrell, Setzer plug plan for Southern Loop

2007-11-14T01:12:00.003-05:00

From: http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/11_07/11_28_07/fr_burrell_setzer.html

11/28/07

Burrell, Setzer plug plan for Southern Loop

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.

[The Sylva Herald] Smart Roads Alliance asks DOT for all documents on Southern Loop

2007-11-14T01:04:00.000-05:00

November 8, 2007
from The Sylva Herald

Smart Roads asks DOT for all documents on Southern Loop

By Justin Goble

The Jackson County Smart Roads Alliance is using the N.C. Public Records Law to request all documentation pertaining to the Southern Loop bypass from the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Division 14.

The project is currently defined as a “multi-lane freeway” from U.S. 441 south of Dillsboro to U.S. 23/74 east of Sylva.

The request covers a four-year period, beginning with the creation of the Jackson County Transportation Task Force in November 2003 to this year, when the Southern Loop appeared on a regional transportation list for prioritized projects.

“We are the only community-based organization on the task force and feel it is appropriate for the public to be fully informed about the business of our state government,” said Jeanette Evans, a Smart Roads alternate representative to the Transportation Task Force. “In this case, how exactly did the Southern Loop become a ‘priority’ on a regional planning list within a statewide transportation planning process without public knowledge or input?”

The written request, prepared by the Southern Environmental Law Center, was mailed last week to Division 14 DOT representative Conrad Burrell; Division 14 Chief Engineer Joel Setzer; and NCDOT Planner Elizabeth Reddic, who is working with the Transportation Task Force.

When contacted Tuesday (Nov. 6), Setzer said he had received the letter and that all the information the group requested would be provided as soon as possible.

“Of course we’re going to give it to them,” he said. “I don’t have a schedule because they asked for such a comprehensive list. I don’t know how easily some of the information can be obtained.”

“It’s time for the Task Force and its members to be taken seriously by NCDOT,” said Susan Leveille, a representative on the Transportation Task Force. “Smart Roads believes the DOT is following its own agenda without consulting our community. Therefore we are advocating for the use on an independent traffic consultant as the county develops its own comprehensive transportation plan. The Task Force was meant to focus on fixing N.C. 107, not to function as a rubber stamp to advance the Southern Loop.”

The Southern Loop and Corridor K in Graham and Cherokee counties are the most costly transportation projects on the regional priority list. The current cost of the Southern Loop is estimated at more than $400 million, with Corridor K’s last segment (beginning in Andrews) estimated at $700 million in 2003.

The Smart Roads Alliance has been advocating for “alternatives” to the Southern Loop since 2003, when it held its first public program on “access management” for improving traffic flow on N.C. 107. Other presentations have included Dan Burden, a national expert on designing “walkable communities.”

The Smart Roads group plans a public meeting in January. For additional information, visit online at www.smartroads.org.

Welcome to the Smart Roads Alliance blog!

2007-11-14T00:48:00.000-05:00

This web log (blog) will serve as a meeting place for Alliance members. Feel free to add comments or discussion here. This post will remain "sticky" to keep this discussion interactive.

TIP includes funding for portion of Southern Loop

2007-05-03T21:00:00.000-04:00

TIP includes funding for portion of Southern Loop
The Sylva Herald
May 3, 2007

By Lynn Hotaling

Planning has begun on a controversial highway project that triggered widespread opposition almost four years ago.

The Southern Loop, a proposed highway connector that was envisioned to relieve congestion on busy N.C. 107 by linking U.S. 23/74 near Blantons Branch to U.S. 23/441 around Cagle Branch and accessing 107 in the vicinity of Locust Creek, is partially funded in this year’s N.C. Department of Transportation’s Transportation Improvement Plan.

According to Division 14 Engineer Joel Setzer, the $7 million earmarked in the TIP for the Southern Loop project in the year 2013 is for right of way acquisition for the eastern leg of the highway – the U.S. 74/N.C. 107 link.

However, just because funds are allocated doesn’t mean they will be spent, said Setzer, who added that he doesn’t see how planning for a project of the Southern Loop’s scope could be accomplished in less than 10 years.

050107nc107trafficc
Constant traffic on busy N.C. 107, which connects Sylva to Cullowhee, Tuckasegee, Glenville and Cashiers, is one reason N.C. Department of Transportation officials have allocated funding and begun planning for construction of one-half of a proposed Southern Loop. The portion funded in this year’s Transportation Improvement Plan would likely connect U.S. 23/74 near Blantons Branch to N.C. 107 between Lovesfield and Cullowhee. – Herald photo by Nick Breedlove

“Being a funded project gives it priority over unfunded projects, which are also included in the TIP,” Setzer said.

Allocating funds is the NCDOT’s first step in the planning process for a new road, Setzer said. Once a project like the Southern Loop receives funding, planning begins at the state level, he said. Routes will be looked at during this stage and other corridors besides the ones identified in a 2003 feasibility study may be considered, Setzer said.

The 2003 map indicated Blantons Branch to the east and Cagle Branch or Mockingbird Lane on the west as the areas where the new road would intersect U.S. 74 and U.S. 441, respectively. However, that plan listed two options for the N.C. 107 interchange – either Cope Creek or Locust Creek, depending on whether the road started at Cagle Branch (Locust Creek) or Mockingbird Lane (Cope Creek). Plans unveiled in 2003 called for a four-lane divided highway with a 22-foot median.

The Locust Creek proposal seemed to generate the most controversy at that time because it would have routed the new road along the Tuckaseigee River and between two of Jackson County’s oldest churches – Webster Baptist and Webster Methodist.

With regard to questions on the preliminary planning that will be done in Raleigh, Setzer referred The Herald to Teresa Hart of NCDOT’s project development and environmental analysis department. Hart had not returned calls before press time on Wednesday.

Setzer said that while he’s open to the results of whatever traffic and environmental studies are done, he envisions 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.

One objection to the proposed road four years ago was that the development that almost inevitably follows such a project would jeopardize Jackson County’s rural feel. According to Setzer, such total access control would not invite development except at the interchange where the new road joins N.C. 107.

“A road like that could move a lot of traffic safely and quickly,” Setzer said.

It’s not just the current congestion on N.C. 107 that makes such a road necessary; it’s the projections of growth at Western Carolina University and throughout Jackson County, Setzer said. The proposed road could get motorists from U.S. 23/74 to Cullowhee and beyond – and eventually to U.S. 441 – without them having to go through the congestion of the Business 23/N.C. 107 intersection and downtown Sylva, he said.

According to Setzer, the Blantons Branch area still seems the most likely starting point from U.S. 74. However, he said that this time around planners might look at merging with N.C. 107 closer to Cullowhee, possibly through Cane Creek.

“I don’t think we can ignore the traffic growth on N.C. 107 and the anticipated growth in Jackson County,” Setzer said.

During previous Southern Loop discussions, which triggered the formation of a grassroots group, the Smart Roads Coalition, that opposed the planned road, a number of people expressed the opinion that NCDOT should “fix” N.C. 107 through access management or by connecting some of the smaller roads (East Cope Creek to Fairview, for example) to create alternate travel routes.

However, Setzer said he didn’t see that either of those options is viable.

“I don’t think there’s a solution for 107 that wouldn’t wipe out the business community due to a loss of mobility,” he said, adding that a barrier median would require lots of space for U-turns, and that quite a bit of space is required for a round-about.

The 2003 feasibility study for the proposed Southern Loop indicated the plan NCDOT developed was based on a 1993-94 proposal for a Sylva-Dillsboro bypass, which was supported by county commissioners as well as Sylva and Dillsboro officials, Setzer said.

In addition to triggering the formation of the Smart Roads group, the 2003 discussions of the Southern Loop also led to the creation of a countywide transportation task force headed by Beverly Williams of NCDOT’s Raleigh office and rural transportation planner Matt Roark of the Southwestern Commission.

An initial obstacle was Jackson County’s lack of a comprehensive land planning document, which was put in place last year. Despite the eventual existence of that plan, the task force “floundered” Setzer said, due to Williams and Roark taking other jobs.

Jackson County Planning Director Linda Cable confirmed that the transportation group has not met in almost a year and agreed with Setzer that the departure of Williams and Roark has sidelined the group.

As to the fact that a portion of the Southern Loop had received funding, Cable said she was unaware that it had until she was questioned about it.

Susan Leveille of Webster, who was initially the Smart Roads representative on the county transportation task force, also said she didn’t know a portion of the Southern Loop had been funded until she read recent media reports.

“People are upset that it’s back on the table,” she said Tuesday, adding that because she had been unable to attend the few task force meetings that were held, Smart Roads member Jeannette Evans had replaced her.

While Leveille said members of the Smart Roads group are concerned by the Southern Loop’s reappearance, they’re not really surprised.

“We were warned that’s what would happen,” she said.

The next meeting of the Jackson County transportation study task force is scheduled Tuesday, June 13, at 6 p.m. in the Justice Center’s Jury Assembly Room.

Southern Loop Feasibility Study Approved

2001-07-12T13:00:00.002-04:00

The Sylva Herald - Letters To The Editor
July 12, 2001

Southern Loop feasibility study approved

To the Editor:

I would like to share some important information regarding a proposed southern loop around the town of Sylva. The N.C. Department of Transportation is in the early stages of the planning process - studying the possibility of building an eight-mile, two-lane bypass.

Building a highway is a lengthy process, one that can take from seven to 10 years. Many factors must be considered before construction begins - including need, traffic demand, public input, funding, location for the highway, environmental, aesthetic and community impacts and right-of-way acquisition. I want to explain how this process works and how citizens can be involved in planning highways in their area.

First, in 1993, local officials asked the department to study highway needs 20-25 years in the future based on projected population growth and traffic counts and to provide solutions to possible highway congestion. Based on this information and after 11 months of study, state engineers produced a "Thoroughfare Plan" for Sylva and Dillsboro that showed the need for a new southern route. This proposed route would help alleviate traffic congestion along N.C. 107 bound for Western Carolina University and truck traffic off of Main Street in Sylva.

Second, after a thoroughfare plan is produced, the department conducts a feasibility study to see how and where such a route could be constructed. N.C. DOT staff investigates all possibilities and makes recommendations on specific routes that would protect natural resources and minimize impacts on residents. This is where we are now in the process with years of environmental studies and public workshops before a decision is made to build a new loop around Sylva.

Last month the department included a feasibility study for a South Sylva Bypass in the 2002-08 Transportation Improvement Plan - the department's blueprint for statewide transportation projects during the next seven years. N.C. DOT staff will begin studying all corridors from U.S. 23/441 south of Dillsboro to U.S. 23 Business east of Sylva that will help alleviate congestion along N.C. 107.

Once the feasibility study is completed in 2002, the N.C. DOT staff will hold public meetings so that citizens and local officials can have an active voice in their transportation network. Only then will a decision be made whether or not to proceed with the proposed project.

If the decision is made to build the highway, the next steps would include funding, public workshops and hearings and designing the highway. During this time, N.C. DOT staff would study the protection of endangered species, water quality, historical landmarks and obtain permits from resource agencies. The department also would begin surveying, appraising and negotiating for right of way with property owners. This process alone can take up to five years.

We are in the beginning stages of this project, and nothing is set in stone. However, it is important for citizens to take an active role in transportation planning. I encourage citizens to review the Thoroughfare Plan, which is available at the N.C. DOT Division Office, located along N.C. 116 in Sylva, and to attend future public meetings.

You can decide what your community will look like and how traffic will flow in the next 20 years. I welcome the opportunity to talk one-on-one with citizens about this and other projects in the area. I can be reached at 586-2141 in Sylva.

Sincerely,

Ron Watson, P.E.

14th Division Engineer

N.C. Department of

Transportation