MARS HILL – Drivers can now use the recently opened Crossroads Parkway, a new frontage road that provides an important connection in rural Madison County.
A contractor for the N.C. Department of Transportation recently opened the $2.4 million road project to increase commercial access to the Mars Hill area.
NHM Constructors built a half-mile frontage road connecting Crossroads Parkway and Calvin Edney Road that links access to Interstate 26 at exits 9 and 11. Construction included creating a two-lane road, adding new landscaping, building a 580-foot-long retaining wall, extending a municipal water line, and replacing a section of municipal force main sewer.
The project is intended to draw new businesses and improve access to the interstate for existing companies. The project is part of the Appalachian Regional Commission’s (ARC) local access road program.
“We are delighted to open Crossroads Parkway for the Madison County community,” Division 13 Engineer Mark Gibbs said. “This corridor will better connect the community and improve economic and quality of life opportunities for the people in this rural area.”
Governor Roy Cooper visited Madison County in May 2018 and discussed with local officials the Crossroads Parkway as part of the launch of his statewide Hometown Strong initiative aimed at helping rural counties.
The ARC is a regional economic development agency comprised of the governors of 13 Appalachian states, and a federal government representative. Its purpose is to boost the area’s economy through investment in transportation, infrastructure, education, health and cultural initiatives and projects.