ASHEVILLE – N.C. Department of Transportation officials will open a new on-ramp from Brevard Road to Interstate 26 West next week.
The new ramp is a major component of the $47.4 million improvement project on Brevard Road (N.C. 191) that will increase safety and mobility on I-26 and Brevard Road.
“This is a big milestone for this project,” Division 13 Construction Engineer Randy McKinney said. “The project is going to help make traveling around the outlets, car dealerships and other businesses safer, and merging onto the interstate safer too.”
The ramp begins as two lanes before merging into one near the interstate. This portion of the project includes a noise wall that varies in height from 20-25 feet. The new section’s length of about 1,900 feet will provide more time for trucks to get up to the posted speed and merge with interstate traffic.
The new ramp intersection with Brevard Road is about ¼ mile northeast of the previous on-ramp and will be controlled by a signal.
Construction on the project began in the spring of 2016. The project includes new bridges on Brevard Road over I-26. The new bridges will allow for more capacity on Brevard Road and room for the expansion of I-26.
“Hopefully, folks are starting to see how all of the pieces fit into the big picture,” McKinney said. “This is a much-needed project and it will have big benefits by reducing congesting in this area.”