It isn’t often motorists are happy about road construction.
Especially not when that construction comes with significant traffic delays.
The repaving of Buck Creek Road is the exception to the rule.
NC Department of Transportation contractors have been working on Buck Creek Road for the past week and even with the work incomplete, it’s clear to see the roadway will be significantly improved once the project is finished.
Vegetation has been cut back on both sides of the road, which has improved sight lines for drivers, especially around some of the sweeping turns. The shoulder of Buck Creek Road has been improved in several sections, which is a much-needed safety improvement, and the road surface itself is going to be brand new.
Ridding Buck Creek of potholes, overhanging plant life and crumbling shoulders had to be done. Over the past several years, as Highlands and Cashiers have experienced growth in the second home and tourism industries, Buck Creek has become the preferred route of travel for the employees of many area businesses as well as service providers from Franklin. The morning commute and the after-work rush hour on Buck Creek are nearly as busy as similar times on US 64 through the Cullasaja Gorge and that traffic pattern shows no signs of slowing down.
As Macon County Commissioner Ronnie Beale has pointed out multiple times over the past decade when the repaving of Buck Creek has been debated at Regional Planning Organization meetings, Buck Creek is also a school bus route with students on the “lower” end of the road being transported to Franklin area schools every day and students on the “upper” end of the road coming to Highlands. Being able to safely pick up and drop off school children is a necessity.
Patience will be required while the roadwork wraps up, but the light at the end of the tunnel is a much more driver-friendly Buck Creek Road. And that is worth the temporary traffic headache.