Last week, I attended a meeting concerning future transportation projects for Macon County. The Southwestern Regional Planning Organization hosted the meeting. This regional organization handles prioritizing transportation needs for the six counties of Western Carolina. The entire process is a part of the NCDOT State Transportation Program (STIP) initiative. I will not describe how the STIP process works because it would require over 1,000 words.
Staff of the Southwestern RPO periodically meet with the leadership of the counties to get feedback about local transportation needs. The meeting I attended included officials and staff from Macon County, the Town of Franklin, and Highlands. Michael Mathis, the Highlands Zoning Director, and I represented Highlands.
At the meeting, there was discussion about making improvements to roads in Macon County, such as improvements to US 441 from the state line to Franklin. Also, there was discussion about improving some truck passing lanes on US 64 from Franklin to Murphy, and improvements on US 64 from Franklin to Highlands. That prioritization along with others will continue in the coming months.
We did not talk about improvements at the gorge area of US 64 to Highlands. That stretch of the highway is locked in. Do not expect blasting away of those rock formations on the hard curves at the gorge to increase the size of the lanes, as blasting may cause the whole side of the mountain to fall away!
On a safety note, the group examined the locations of the most serious traffic accidents on US 64 that occurred between Highlands and Franklin. Many would think that most of the accidents would have occurred near Highlands or in the gorge area. They actually occurred on the flatter and straighter road areas, starting at the C. Tom Bryson bridge (Bridge number 104) near the Sugar Fork Road and going back to Franklin at Bell View Road, which is at the intersection of US 64 and highways 441and 23. There may be some safety improvements made in that area in the future, such as more turn lanes.
Also high on the list of transportation improvements that the group reviewed was extending the runway at the Macon County Airport to enhance safety for small jets that land there. That project is several years away from getting started.
In the Highlands area, there are no road improvements scheduled soon. That does not mean maintenance and resurfacing projects will not occur, but major improvements to corridor roads such as NC 106 are unlikely in the next ten or fifteen years. In the future, this schedule might prove to be problematic given the ever-increasing traffic loads. For instance, as new developments occur in the Cashiers, Highlands, and Scaly areas, traffic loads will increase, including more trucks bringing goods and supplies to the plateau. As we learned from Helene, NC 106 is a key commercial artery for this part of Macon and Jackson County.
Our group also reviewed a priority listing for new DOT sidewalk projects. Highlands does have two sidewalk projects high on that list. One is the sidewalk for NC 106, and the other is for a sidewalk on US 64 or Franklin Road. The NC 106 sidewalk project had failed to receive special grant funding a while back. The sidewalk is estimated to cost $1.1 million and would run from the Highlands Plaza shopping center to the Highlands Country Club area. The Franklin Road sidewalk would go from the Bascom Will Henry Steven’s Covered Bridge to Mirror Lake Road, and is estimated to cost $2.4 million. As part of the cost of these projects, DOT would expect the town to cover 20% of the total costs. Do not expect these sidewalks to be funded overnight; it will take some time.
Also, NCDOT is planning to replace the C. Tom Bryson Bridge on US 64 between Franklin and Highlands. That project is two or more years away from starting. Once underway, it will take several years to complete.