Robbinsville – A 15-mile reimagining of a decades-old concept propelled a congressman to introduce a bill for additional funding.
The one-year anniversary of Corridor K’s long-anticipated groundbreaking was Oct. 3. Since then, local residents and visitors alike have learned to live with the idea of constant pauses and lengthy travel times on both N.C. 28 and 143 through Stecoah and Sweetwater.
The work in Graham County will all but complete a project first conceived as a 128-mile improvement of the pathway between Interstate 40 near Canton and I-75 in Cleveland, Tenn.; most of the work was completed by the early 1990s, but officials were stymied by local advocates who wanted to protect the integrity of the Appalachian Trail and the area where the infamous Trail of Tears began in 1838. The Appalachian Trail crosses through Graham County; the Trail of Tears is believed to have began in the Long Creek community and followed a similar path as present-day Tatham Gap Road.
The popular belief was that Corridor K would see crews clear a pathway through Graham County’s mountainous terrain, disrupting both routes. A compromise was reached to build the first land bridge in North Carolina at Stecoah Gap, which would allow hikers and wildlife alike from the Appalachian Trail to cross over N.C. 28 without fear of being struck by traffic.
Likewise, the workaround for diverting traffic from the planned route through the Snowbird Mountains at Tatham Gap Road – which would have connected the corridor to U.S. 74/129 in Andrews – has been rumored for quite some time.
Thanks to a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.), the final leg has been revealed: much like improvements along the existing route have gotten the ball rolling on segments of N.C. 28 and 143, the last step will progress along U.S. 129 (Tallulah Road) to Topton. From there, improvements will continue to the beginning of the divided highway in Andrews.
To ensure funding would be available for the new concept – which tacked 15 miles onto the existing verbiage – Edwards’ H.R. 5835 simply strikes “three thousand and ninety miles” from the allotment of federal monies for the Appalachian Development Highway System; and replaces the distance with “3,105 miles.”
According to a Sept. 29 release from Edwards’ office, the bill was referred to the Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure.
Funding for the final segment of the current Corridor K improvements – now dubbed “Section CD,” a 2.807-mile part of N.C. 28 from Stecoah Road to Red Barn Hollow General Store in Wolf Creek – is still uncertain. Letting (awarding of bids) for sections A, B and CC took place last year, but the COVID pandemic forced construction-material costs to the point that the project was already north of $100 million over the original estimates. “Section CD” was set to be letted this month, but has once again been delayed as N.C. Department of Transportation officials continue to seek funding.