2012 Design Meetings
From Aug. 14-16, 2012, NCDOT held three informal design public hearings to provide information about the design and location of the proposed project and to give the public an opportunity to provide feedback.
Public Involvement
Detailed environmental studies evaluated each of the 17 alternatives for potential environmental, social and economic effects of widening U.S. 158. The results of these studies were presented at public hearings on Sept. 22, 25 and 30, 2008. An additional public hearing was held on July 19, 2010, to notify the public of changes made to the Extended Northern Jackson Bypass and Northern Jackson Bypass corridor alignments. Citizens were encouraged to comment on the proposed improvements and to provide opinions on a preferred alternative. In total, 412 citizens attended the four hearings.
Merger Team Process
Citizen feedback and results from detailed environmental studies were presented to the project merger team – composed of representatives from both state and federal environmental agencies – on March 26, 2009. The purpose of this meeting was to achieve a consensus on the Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alterative (LEDPA)/ Preferred Alternative.
The merger team agreed a preferred alternative for three of the four communities (Garysburg, Faisons Old Tavern and Conway). The preferred alternatives for these communities are:
- Garysburg Southern Bypass 1 (Sections A1, B2, B3)
- Faisons Northern Bypass 2 (Sections F2, F6, F10)
- Conway Northern Bypass 2 (Sections G1, G6, G7, H1)
An agreement was not reached on a preferred alternative for a Jackson Bypass, but Old Jackson Bypass (Section D1) and Southern Jackson Bypass (Sections C1, E2, E4) were eliminated from consideration. The merger team requested slight modifications for each of the two remaining Jackson Bypass alternatives.
Modifications to the Extended Northern Jackson Bypass and the Northern Jackson Bypass required alignments to be shifted out of the original study corridor shown at the corridor public hearings. Revised Jackson Bypass Design Corridor Map.
A second project merger team meeting was held on Oct. 19, 2010, to discuss the results of updated detailed environmental studies and public hearing was completed for each of the remaining Jackson bypasses. As a result of the discussion, the merger team was able to concur on the Northern Jackson Bypass as the LEDPA for the Jackson Bypass Alternatives.