SYLVA — The N.C. Department of Transportation desires the public’s feedback on three possible options the agency is proposing to improve the highway from West Buffalo Creek to N.C. 143 Business.
Those options will be presented at a public meeting from 4-7 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Graham County Community Building, 196 Knight Street, Robbinsville. Transportation officials will use public questions and comments on the three alternatives to help determine which option moves forward toward construction.
All of the sharp curves, steep grades, narrow lanes and lack of paved shoulders contribute to the highway’s high crash rate —especially lane departure crashes. In a five-year study period, 90 percent of crashes were lane-departure crashes, 22 percent were severe crashes, 40 percent of the crashes were rollovers, and 70 percent occurred between West Buffalo Road and Buchanan Branch Road.
All of the proposed improvements would reduce the severity of the curves and reduce the steep slopes, which will improve safety on the rural highway. People can view maps of the three options on the NCDOT
public meeting website.
Ideas for improvements have existed within the county since the 1990s. This project has been included in the Graham County Comprehensive Transportation plan approved in 2015. County officials and the Southwestern Regional Planning Organization recognized the need for improvements and supported the project.
- Alternative One proposes to improve the existing path of N.C. 143 to a design speed of 45 MPH at a cost of $25.6 million.
- Alternative Two proposes to improve the highway to a 35 MPH design speed with a new alignment from Chickalee Cemetery to the Graham County Waste Convenience Site at a cost of $33.9 million.
- Alternative 4A proposes improvements to a 35 MPH design speed in a new alignment and reconfigured intersection of N.C. 143 and N.C. 143 Business at a cost of $27. 7 million.
For more information or to submit comments, contact NCDOT Division 14 Project Team Lead Josh Deyton at jbdeyton@ncdot.gov or 828-586-2141 or by mail at 252 Webster Road, Sylva, NC 28779. NCDOT will accept comments through Dec. 26.
NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled persons who wish to participate in this meeting. Anyone requiring special services should contact Tony Gallagher via email at magallagher@ncdot.gov or by phone at 919-707-6069 as early as possible, so that arrangements can be made.
Persons who do not speak English, or 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.