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Ask Matt ... about I-26 widening

Trees in a narrow median on I-240 in Asheville.

Q. There is a stretch of interstate highway in Asheville that has large trees planted in the median. Can that be done on the I-26 widening project in Henderson County?

Yes. Our highway department friends still allow trees in interstate medians. That stretch of I-240 in Asheville is known as the “Beaucatcher Cut.” The oak trees have survived there for many years. Work on the Cut began in 1977 amid much controversy including a thousand people showing up for a “save the mountain” rally. Two million cubic yards of rock were eventually blasted and hauled out of the Cut.
NCDOT offers a “betterment” program, which some cities have used to gussy up the interstate to enhance tourism. The marginal cost of trees is usually funded by local government. I could not get a per foot cost on betterment items as they must be designed and bid but ballpark estimates are available. So if Hendersonville, Fletcher or Henderson County want trees to spring from a concrete barrier section of the Interstate, they need only contact NCDOT.
Some readers may remember the 2001 proposal to widen I-26 to six lanes throughout Henderson County. Opponents won a federal lawsuit that blocked the project on the grounds that the NCDOT had not adequately studied the environmental impact. Among other things, the feds didn’t like creating a bottleneck by omitting the expensive South Buncombe section. Well, the project is back — and with a vengeance. Throughout Henderson County’s 13.6 miles of interstate plus another 8.6 miles in Buncombe County grassy medians will be replaced by Jersey barriers. Their four-foot height may vary throughout depending on the superelevation (changing road levels around curves). Glare screens could also adorn the barriers. Admittedly, none of these improvements are pleasing to the eye but trees would soften the blow.
But there’s more. Our little four-lane Interstate 26 will swell to eight lanes because it must tie in to the Asheville Connector, the $600 million 7-mile project designed to fix “Malfunction Junction” and the I-40 mess in West Asheville. In short, to eliminate the bottleneck they must “connect the Connector.” That piece of 8-lane interstate widening (project STIP # 4700) begins on I-26 just south of I-40 near the Farmers Market and continues for 8.6 miles to N.C. 280 at the Airport. This section will be packaged with Henderson County’s project (STIP # 4400) to make a 22.2 mile project that will terminate near the Polk County line. I’m officially dubbing our piece “The Terminator.” Any implied movie reference to a cyborg assassin is purely coincidental.
For Henderson County’s own 13.6 mile section, the design engineers told me they are looking at three alternatives: a six-lane highway, an eight-lane highway (a trucker’s paradise), or a combination design where eight lanes would narrow down to six probably at the Fletcher-Mountain Home exit at U.S. 25. The estimated price of the 22.2 miles is $264 million. I suspect that widening the bridge over the French Broad River and rebuilding the 79-foot Blue Ridge Parkway bridge over I-26 is a big chunk of the cost. The first public hearings will be held this year with construction to begin in 2020. Hope you like the color orange.

Send questions to askmattm@gmail.com.