Open house will be Aug. 16
ASHEBORO – The N.C. Department of Transportation is seeking public feedback on a proposal to widen a stretch of U.S. 64, reconstruct the nearby N.C. 49 bridge and reconfigure some of the loops and ramps at an interchange at U.S. 220/Interstate 73/74 on Asheboro’s west side.
NCDOT will host an informal open house from 4-7 p.m. Aug. 16 at West End United Methodist Church, 1080 Albemarle Road, Asheboro. The open house will give people an opportunity to ask questions and submit comments about the project. Comments may be submitted through Aug. 30.
Randolph County requested the highway widening in a corridor study in 2005 to improve traffic flow and ease congestion. The project was submitted for funding consideration through the Strategic Mobility Formula that prioritizes projects based on safety, congestion, benefit-cost and local priorities. With support from the department’s Highway Division 8 and the Piedmont Triad Rural Planning Organization, the project received favorable scores to move forward for funding.
Specifically, the proposed project entails:
- Widening U.S. 64 into a four-lane section with a median from the N.C. 49 overpass to where the U.S. 64 and U.S. 64 Bypass interchange is under construction. The 1.25-mile section now has only two travel lanes, causing traffic backups. By widening this section, the highway will have the same number of travel lanes east of the N.C. 49 overpass and at the bypass interchange under construction, improving travel along the corridor.
- Reconstructing a taller and longer N.C. 49 bridge that will go over the portion of U.S. 64 to be widened.
- Reconfiguring some of the ramps and loops that drivers use to leave or enter U.S. 220/Interstate 73/74 from two roads that are close together: U.S. 64 (West Dixie Drive) and N.C. 49 (Albemarle Road).
The changes will improve how the ramps operate, reduce the risk of crashes and create new access from Albemarle Road to I-73/74.
More details and the preliminary design maps can be viewed at this NCDOT web page.
For additional information or to submit comments, contact Bob Deaton, an NCDOT assistant project manager at 919-707-6017; rdeaton@ncdot.gov; or by Central Project Delivery, 1548 MSC, Raleigh, NC 27699-1548.
NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled persons who wish to participate in this workshop. Anyone requiring special services should contact Tony Gallagher at 919-707-6069 or magallagher@ncdot.gov as early as possible so that arrangements can be made.
Persons who speak Spanish and have a limited ability to read, speak or understand English, may receive interpretive services upon request prior to the meeting by calling 1-800-481-6494.