The North Carolina Department of Transportation will hold an information session Thursday, April 24 to update community members on the latest plans for the I-26 Connector project.
While the much-anticipated session will cover all aspects of the project, there is one in particular that is likely to be the focus of public attention: The plan for I-26 to pass over, rather than under, Patton Avenue west of the French Broad River.
The winning bidder on the northern section of the I-26 Connector, Archer-Wright Joint Venture, included the flyover in its plans, which were later approved by NCDOT staff. But the design was not made public until recently, due to what NCDOT describes as the “highly confidential” nature of the procurement process.
The design swiftly prompted an outcry from local residents, including architects and planners who were part of the community-led process that formed the basis for the project nearly two decades ago.
Several of them spoke out at a City Council meeting last month, arguing that the overpass will negatively impact pedestrian and bicyclist safety, bring down property values, increase sound pollution and make it harder to encourage future development along the corridor.
They have also formed a group, Citizens’ Coalition of West Asheville, that has been advocating for the return of the underpass design. A petition opposing the overpass had already garnered more than 1,000 signatures as of Wednesday morning.
“While the I-26 Connector project will improve safety and traffic congestion on Patton Ave, a towering overhead 8-lane freeway is not friendly toward pedestrian traffic and creates physical and psychological barriers between West Asheville and the East side of the river,” the petition read. “Behind closed doors, NCDOT allowed the lowest bidder to incorporate this once-refuted design into their proposal.”
NCDOT has argued that the benefits of the overpass design outweigh the drawbacks.
“We understood the desire of the community, and it was reflected in the scoring process. But ultimately, it was overridden by the cost and the schedule savings,” NCDOT construction engineer Nathan Moneyham said during a February presentation to the French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization, a state and local transportation planning partnership.
The open house-style meeting will take place from 4-7 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Renaissance Asheville Hotel. Members of the public can weigh in on the project online here.
