ASHEVILLE – A contractor for the N.C. Department of Transportation will begin resurfacing operations on a popular road in west Asheville on Sunday night.
The resurfacing operations are the last major phase of a $7 million project to improve multi-modal conditions and replace old pavement and markings on Haywood Road between Patton Avenue and Ridgelawn Road.
Crews from Watson Contracting of Franklin, N.C., will mill out old asphalt from end to end and curb to curb, install traffic signal components, then resurface the entire stretch over the next three months, if weather cooperates.
Crews will work from 8 p.m. until 7 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday nights with no work on Friday or Saturday nights. Lane closures will be necessary in certain blocks — not the entire corridor — during overnight operations. Advance crews will block on-street parking spots as need to prevent vehicles from being towed overnight.
“This is routine milling and paving, but in a dense, urban environment,” NCDOT Resident Engineer Tom Veazey said. “It’s important that everybody — drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, crew employees — remain alert, be aware of their surroundings and remain vigilant about safety.”
Coordinated with input from the City of Asheville, this project includes the following improvements:
- Resurfacing and bicycle and pedestrian improvements to Haywood Road for approximately two miles from Patton Avenue to Ridgelawn Road;
- Bicycle lanes in both directions from Patton Avenue to Sulphur Springs, and in both directions from Richmond Avenue to Ridgelawn Road;
- Enhanced pedestrian crossings at various locations throughout the corridor, including signalization and flashing pedestrian crossing signs;
- ADA compliant curb ramps.
Transportation officials anticipate completing all operations on-time in November.