The I-26 expansion in Asheville isn’t the region’s only major road project. The town of Sylva is in the middle of a plan to widen Highway 107 - one of the busiest roads through that corner of Western North Carolina.
Sylva Town manager Paige Dowling says that discussions about improving Highway 107 have been going on since 2003. Growth in Jackson County and at Western Carolina University have both contributed to the heavy traffic on the road.
“The intersection gets 30,000 cars a day. It’s the busiest in the seven westernmost counties,” says Dowling.
The town is currently holding meetings with the Department of Transportation, nonprofit Asheville Design Center and other local organizations to find the best solutions for the road. Asheville Design Center will present new ideas at an April public meeting.
“Yes they are looking at several intersections from a mobility perspective as well as several pedestrian crossing options.”
Even though the plan won’t be finalized until 2020, there are plenty of concerns about how the widened road will change the town. Many business will be impacted or be forced to close.
“When that list first came out it was 55 businesses but that has gone down and it will continue to dwindle down,” says Dowling.
In February, the plan was 25 percent complete. Now they are still less than halfway done with the plan. Other local companies will add their input in June.
“Utilities such as Duke Energy and Tuckaseigee Water & Sewer will come in as we get closer to 65 percent complete.”
While the plan still has a long way to go Dowling is optimistic that it will improve the infrastructure of Sylva in a lasting way.
“This is just a huge plan and it’s going to be hard for so many business owners but we know the safety issues,” says Dowling. “This is a better plan than the feasibility study that came out in 2008 that would have shut down twice as many businesses.”
Construction is expected to start on the road in 2023 and be finished in 2026.
