Information is everywhere.
Data is being created all the time.
The flood of things we “need” to know and the things we “want” to know never stops.
But sometimes, the best way to understand a situation is by seeing it with your own two eyes. So, when Ryan Bryson turned the corner on NC106 and walked toward a construction area that looks more like a set from Mad Max, it was suddenly easy to comprehend the scope of the NC106 repair project that is underway.
The roadway, the asphalt, and most of the roadbed are completely gone. If you’d like to travel NC106 at the moment, your options are on a backhoe, or by foot through the mud and rocks.
We were all a little disheartened to learn in October that the main commercial artery to Highlands and Cashiers would be closed for major repairs. Following Hurricane Helene in September it appeared as though we had been spared the biggest impacts of the storm – which has caused billions of dollars in damage to this point across the region.
It was only in the weeks following Helene that NC Department of Transportation engineers could actually assess NC106 and determine the scope of work that needed to be done. The 90-plus year old box culvert near the Blue Valley Overlook had failed and led to a washout under the road surface. A complete closure was the only option.
A bid period was opened immediately to complete the emergency road work, and fortunately Bryson’s Grading and Paving was ready to submit their proposal and get cracking. Having a local company that is invested in life on the plateau doing the repairs is a bonus, since they are uniquely aware of how much NC106 means to the region.
When it was announced that NC106 was going to be closed indefinitely, there was some grumbling among the masses. Not only is the closure incredibly inconvenient, it impacts all aspects of doing business in Highlands, Cashiers, and points beyond. And to the lay person, looking down from the roadway, the damage didn’t look “that bad” after Helene.
Unfortunately, it is that bad, and now we’ve seen it with our own two eyes. Let’s all hope for good weather and fast repairs.