Sylva – Residents of Cherokee and surrounding counties are encouraged to provide input into what projects they would like to see included in the N.C. Department of Transportation’s 10-year plan from 2023-32.
A statewide 30-day public comment period to submit project ideas started Monday and will run until Friday, Feb. 28. During this time, the public can send project suggestions in a short, interactive online survey at www.ncdot.gov/initiatives-policies/Transportation/stip/development/Pages/default.aspx.
In addition, there will be a three-day open house at DOT Division 14 headquarters, 253 Webster Road, for in-person input about potential projects in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Polk, Swain and Transylvania counties. Interested residents can attend the open house from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, Feb. 4-6, to get a chance to submit transportation project ideas and talk with DOT staff.
Residents who can’t attend the open house can still be part of the process by contacting Steve Williams of the Division 14 office at sjwilliams@ncdot.gov; N.C. DOT Division 14, 253 Webster Road, Sylva, NC 28779; or 828-586-2141 during the 30-day comment period.
“The purpose of these meetings in each of our divisions is to seek local input on transportation needs as seen by the public,” Wanda Austin, who heads the Project Development Unit for Division 14, told the Cherokee Scout. “The department updates its strategic transportation plan on a two- to three-year rotation.
“The beginning of this cycle includes input from the public on transportation needs. If someone is not able to come to the office, there will be online surveys available to share ideas and input.”
The DOT uses data and local input to determine which projects get funded in the 10-year plan based on a formula created by the Strategic Transportation Investments Plan, according to a release. It allows the department to “use its funding more efficiently to enhance North Carolina’s infrastructure while supporting economic growth, job creation and a higher quality of life.”
Projects can be as large as an interstate improvement or as small as a new turn lane or intersection improvement. Projects can be for any mode of transportation, including highway, aviation, bicycle and pedestrian, ferry, public transportation and rail, which has been long debated in both Andrews and Murphy.
The release adds that the comment period is not for maintenance-related projects, such as patching potholes, resurfacing or ditches. The DOT uses a different method to prioritize maintenance projects.
Division 14 will also collect input from local transportation planning organizations and staff as it puts together its list of potential projects. Project scores and a draft statewide mobility project list are expected to be released by March 2021, the release says. There will be another public comment period regarding regional impact projects in spring 2021, with the same process taking place for division-level projects in fall 2021.
The 2023-32 draft STIP will be released in February 2022, with approval by the N.C. Board of Transportation expected that summer. Projects in the first six years are considered committed, while projects in the final four years of the 10-year plan will be re-evaluated.
For details, visit the website www.ncdot.gov/initiatives-policies/Transportation/stip/Pages/default.aspx.
Coming this decade
Here are the N.C. Department of Transportation projects in Cherokee, Clay and Graham counties from the 2020-29 Strategic Transportation Investments Plan.
Wanda Austin with the Division 14 office indicated which projects are “active” in design, with the preliminary engineering design paused on other projects. She added that schedules are fluid; therefore, the construction let dates – which is when the DOT receives and opens bids for a project – may change.
- N.C. 28/N.C. 143/U.S. 129 in Robbinsville, active, with a let date of Oct. 17, 2023.
- N.C. 143 in Snowbird, paused, Aug. 20, 2024.
- U.S. 64 in Cherokee and Clay counties, paused, June 19, 2029.
- U.S. 64B in Hayesville, active, July 27, 2021.
- U.S. 19/129, Blairsville Highway in Bellview and Ranger, active, Dec. 20, 2022.
- U.S. 19/74/129, Murphy Bypass, paused, Oct. 17, 2023.
- U.S. 64 in Clay County, paused, Oct. 16, 2029.