I-26 in Asheville

[Gnutella]

A few months ago I took a drive through the Asheville area, and I noticed that I-26 had substandard design features, especially in the area of I-440, U.S. 19, U.S. 23 and U.S. 70. Are there any plans to reconfigure that interchange? Also, if I remember correctly, the exterior shoulders are narrow to the north of that interchange until you get to the newer segment that ascends into the Great Smoky Mountains.

Any links or other information would be appreciated.

[froggie]

It's an old thread, but there's this.

In short, it's been an argument between NCDOT who thinks a new connection needs 8 lanes versus locals who don't think it needs that many.

There was also a (generally negative) post on Streetsblog a couple days ago.

[Strider]

A few months ago I took a drive through the Asheville area, and I noticed that I-26 had substandard design features, especially in the area of I-440, U.S. 19, U.S. 23 and U.S. 70. Are there any plans to reconfigure that interchange? Also, if I remember correctly, the exterior shoulders are narrow to the north of that interchange until you get to the newer segment that ascends into the Great Smoky Mountains.

Any links or other information would be appreciated.

you mean I-240. I-440 is in Raleigh.

[hbelkins]

Isn't the segment from the northern interchange between I-240 and US 19/23 and the I-26/I-20/I-240 interchange still designated officially as I-240 only?

[bob7374]

Isn't the segment from the northern interchange between I-240 and US 19/23 and the I-26/I-20/I-240 interchange still designated officially as I-240 only?

Good question, NCDOT has I-26 signs along the highway and on-ramps leading up to the split from I-240, as seen here:
(from ashvegas.com).

and in this Freewayjim video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAy9RVMlNPc

Here's yesterday's story about the widening project being called a 'boondoggle' in the Asheville Citizens-Times:
http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2014/09/18/report-widening-highway-boondoggle/15827327/

[rickmastfan67]

Isn't the segment from the northern interchange between I-240 and US 19/23 and the I-26/I-20/I-240 interchange still designated officially as I-240 only?

This sign says differently on mainline I-240 WB. http://goo.gl/maps/4LHhG

The crazy thing about this is that I have a picture from early 2007 that I took showing a normal I-26 shield there with no Future signage.

But then we have this where I-26 joins I-240 saying it's a full Interstate: http://goo.gl/maps/efwFn

Confusing.

[BrianP]

According to GMs the exit numbers for that stretch use I-240's numbers instead of I-26's numbers.

[rickmastfan67]

According to GMs the exit numbers for that stretch use I-240's numbers instead of I-26's numbers.

That has always been the case since they extended I-26.

[Thing 342]

Whether or not I-26 was signed along with I-240 was pretty much random when I last visited there in 2013.

[codyg1985]

Wasn't money also a factor as to why the improvements haven't been made yet?

[froggie]

Money was an earlier factor, but there has always been the local opposition to what many consider NCDOT's "way too large" plans for I-26 in Asheville.

[Gnutella]

So basically, upgrades to I-26 are at a stalemate right now, no?

[WashuOtaku]

So basically, upgrades to I-26 are at a stalemate right now, no?

I believe since its three sections for the entire project, one of the sections may start sooner.  If anything else, they have a lovely video explaining everything.

[cbalducc]

I think Asheville has a lot of envirolefties who envision making it as auto-unfriendly as possible.

[Gnutella]

I think Asheville has a lot of envirolefties who envision making it as auto-unfriendly as possible.

I fear that that's a growing trend across the country. There seems to be an increasing number of leftists in Pittsburgh who think that I-376 doesn't need any improvements. (Are you FUCKING kidding me?!)

[Grzrd]

No money allocated for I-26 Connector in 2011-20 TIP:
http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20110330/NEWS/303300035/0/FRONTPAGE/High-cost-dooms-26-Connector?odyssey=nav%7Chead

... The Board of Transportation is scheduled to adopt the TIP in July.
In a dramatic shift from the last plan adopted two years ago, the 2011-20 TIP contains no money for the I-26 Connector, a huge project that would include widening Interstate 240 in West Asheville, revamping the I-240/I-40/I-26 interchange on the west side of town and building new bridges across the French Broad River.
DOT says it does not have enough money to build all of the "urban loop"  projects, like the connector, that have been proposed. The I-26 Connector has relatively higher costs and lower benefits than the other projects it is competing with for funds, according to DOT figures ....

(above quote from Asheville I-26 Connector; Long Delay Probable thread)

So basically, upgrades to I-26 are at a stalemate right now, no?

I believe since its three sections for the entire project, one of the sections may start sooner.  If anything else, they have a lovely video explaining everything.

I have not paid attention to possible I-26 improvements in Asheville for several years, but I recently came across this December 11, 2014 Citizen-Times article, which reports that the outlook for some work to begin on the I-26 Connector has improved since it was not included in the 2010 TIP:

The state's new transportation plan suggests at least two parts of the long-debated I-26 Connector project will finally be built after all – but it will take a decade to get the work done.
Construction of a new I-26/I-40/I-240 interchange on the southwestern side of the city would begin in fiscal year 2021 and run through FY 2024, according to the proposed long-range plan released by the state Department of Transportation earlier this month.
Work on a new crossing of the French Broad River would start in FY 2024 and continue beyond FY 2025.
The plan shows no funding over the next 11 years for the third component of the I-26 Connector, a proposed widening of Interstate 240 through West Asheville.
Considering that the entire project fell off DOT's list of priorities in 2010, proponents of the connector say they are pleased to see the state now plans to spend nearly $223 million on it before 2026.
And some West Asheville residents who have been critical of DOT's plan to widen I-240 to as many as eight lanes say they are glad that idea would be put back on the shelf for several years.
But both groups wonder whether pressure to add lanes to the roughly three-mile stretch of I-240 between I-40 and a point near the western end of Bowen Bridge will rise as completion of improvements around it nears.
Adding to those worries are provisions in the long-range plan to widen I-26 from I-40 south to the Fletcher area and to add lanes to U.S. 19-23 for a couple of miles from Broadway north to Exit 23 in Woodfin.
Wider, less congested roads could draw more drivers to use the I-26 corridor, including the West Asheville section of I-240, said David Brown, a local resident who represents Buncombe County on the state Board of Transportation ....
DOT started moving a few years ago to allocate money to projects according to data like traffic counts, accident rates and highway capacity, which at one point brought planning to a standstill in 2010.
That's when the project ranked next to last on a list of 21 urban freeway projects around North Carolina, a ranking that would have meant its construction wouldn't begin until around 2055.
But the project scored better in a new, data-driven prioritization process set up by a 2013 law, resulting in the proposed plan DOT released last week ....
How much or whether to widen I-240 has been debated since, with discussions waxing and waning as the connector crept up and down DOT's list of priorities.
DOT has in the past pushed for an eight-lane profile that, with allowance for on- and off-ramps, could actually be 10 lanes wide in places.
New studies could clarify how many lanes would be appropriate, said Michael Wray, a DOT official working on the connector project.
Mayfield and Don Kostelec, an independent transportation planner who lives in West Asheville, say the absence of money to widen the road in the proposed plan is good news for their community. The plan covers expenditures through FY 2025.
"There is not existing congestion on that route today," Kostelec said.
Mayfield said the lack of funding is an indication DOT's new prioritization system is working. "There's still a lot of questions about the extent to which that needs to be widened," she said.
Many residents opposed a previous plan to widen I-240 to eight lanes because of community impacts, Kostelec said ....
The state Department of Transportation plans to complete a draft environmental impact statement on the I-26 Connector project by the end of April next year, said Michael Wray, project manager. That document will outline pros and cons of four alternatives for revamping the I-26/I-40/I-240 interchange on the southwest side of the city and four alternatives for a new section of road across the French Broad River. It would run from the I-240/Patton Avenue interchange in West Asheville to U.S. 19-23 on the west side of Montford.
DOT will then hold public hearings and plans to select alternatives in September 2015, Wray said.
The draft long-range plan for transportation projects across the state says DOT would buy right-of-way for the interchange work in fiscal year 2019. Construction would begin in FY 2021 and run through FY 2024.
Land acquisition for the crossing of the French Broad would happen in FY 2021-22. Construction would start in FY 2024 and continue past FY 2025.

Well, it is now late April, 2015.  It will be interesting to see if NCDOT releases a DEIS in the near future.

[mvak36]

Does anybody know when NCDOT will upgrade the substandard section of I-26 (north of Asheville to Mars Hill) to interstate standards? Or is the connector the last remaining part?

[froggie]

There would still be some work north of the Connector, but everything is hinging on the connector.

[wdcrft63]

Specifically, I believe the STIP calls for work between US 25 (Exit 23) and the connector, starting in 2022.

[Grzrd]

Specifically, I believe the STIP calls for work between US 25 (Exit 23) and the connector, starting in 2022.

I recently received an email response from NCDOT confirming that even more work would remain after the above project is completed:

Q:  My understanding is that from Exit 9 to the I-40 interchange, Future I-26 does not meet current interstate standards and cannot yet be designated as I-26. My understanding is that the planned I-26 Connector project would not upgrade this entire stretch. If true, are there any plans currently on the drawing board to upgrade the section of Future I-26 that is not covered by the I-26 Connector project?

A:  Yes there are plans to do that under a project designated as A-0010A. Currently a portion of that is designated to be funded for construction in 2022 from Broadway to US 25. The other sections are still unfunded at this time.

Still a long way to go ..........

edit

Here is a link to NCDOT's webpage for the project, which indicates that ROW acquisition should begin in 2018:

http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/us19-23improvements/

[Grzrd]

this December 11, 2014 Citizen-Times article:

The state's new transportation plan suggests at least two parts of the long-debated I-26 Connector project will finally be built after all – but it will take a decade to get the work done ....
The state Department of Transportation plans to complete a draft environmental impact statement on the I-26 Connector project by the end of April next year ....

Well, it is now late April, 2015.  It will be interesting to see if NCDOT releases a DEIS in the near future.

October, 2015 has arrived and NCDOT has posted the I-26 Connector Draft Environmental Impact Statement ("DEIS") on its website.



This Citizen-Times article focuses on the provision in the DEIS that I-240 should be widened to eight lanes instead of six:

Interstate 240 should be widened to eight lanes in West Asheville if the state ever has the money to do the job, a new study from the N.C. Department of Transportation says.
But the state's 10-year plan contains no money for widening I-240 between the west end of Bowen Bridge and the I-26/I-40/I-240 interchange on the west side of the city, so it is unclear if or when that work would be done.
The draft environmental impact study for the Interstate 26 Connector project also says separating local traffic from through traffic on Bowen Bridge would add $74 million to $101 million to the cost of the massive construction project scheduled to get underway during the first half of next decade. The number of homes and businesses affected would be larger too, it says.
The study also calls for adding as many as two additional lanes in each direction to the stretch of Interstate 40 that runs from the I-26/I-40/I-240 interchange west to the I-40/Smoky Park Highway interchange. The lanes, which would be mostly separate from existing travel lanes, would allow westbound drivers moving from I-240 to Smoky Park Highway to avoid merging with through traffic on I-40.
The release of the study will kick off another round in a community debate that has heated up and cooled down periodically since the 1990s.
DOT and federal officials officially completed the study last week and DOT has set a Nov. 16 public hearing to get comments on the document. It considers four possible ways to build a new I-240 crossing of the French Broad River west of downtown, four different ways the I-26/I-40/I-240 interchange could be rebuilt and only one way – the eight-lane option – to widen I-240 in West Asheville.
North Carolina transportation officials hope to decide which of the options to choose early next year, then publish the final study in late 2016 or early 2017, said Michael Wray, a DOT engineer working on the project.
Construction would begin on the new interchange and approaches in 2021 and work on a new crossing of the French Broad would start in 2024, DOT's long-range plan says. Any work to widen I-240 in West Asheville would occur after 2025 ....
The study says DOT considered widening I-240 in West Asheville to only six lanes, but that would result in more traffic congestion than allowed for projects built with federal highway funds. West Asheville residents and others have opposed the idea, saying traffic levels do not warrant such a wide road and that eight lanes would have a negative impact on the rapidly revitalizing neighborhood.
Reconfiguring the I-26/I-40/I-240 interchange is a major part of the I-26 Connector project, but the study says much of the interchange would have acceptable levels of congestion in 2033 even if DOT made no changes.
However, if there are no improvements, there would be problems at westbound I-240 as it approaches the interchange and both directions of I-40 west of the interchange, the study says. That's apparently why DOT is considering adding ramps that would parallel I-40 west of the interchange. ....
A Nov. 16 public hearing on the I-26 Connector project will begin with an open house from 4-6:30 p.m. at the Renaissance Asheville Hotel, 31 Woodfin St., then a formal presentation will begin at 7 p.m.

[roadman65]

We might see some photos here as one of the members here is going up there for a few days this weekend.

[WashuOtaku]

The upcoming November 16th Open House and Public Hearing will have this handout on the I-26 Connector, providing the purpose and the alternatives that are being considered.  Sadly, the shovels will not hit the ground till 2021 at the earliest.

[Grzrd]

http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20100805/OPINION01/308050009/1006
Could change in Noth Carolina's formula lead to earlier upgrade of 19-23 to I-26?

Doubtful, since ARC funding is for the "initial construction" of the given 2 or 4-lane corridor, and Corridor B (19/23/Future-26) is already complete as far as the ARC is concerned.

(above two quotes from ARC Funding for Western North Carolina thread)

Specifically, I believe the STIP calls for work between US 25 (Exit 23) and the connector, starting in 2022.

I recently received an email response from NCDOT confirming that even more work would remain after the above project is completed:

Q:  My understanding is that from Exit 9 to the I-40 interchange, Future I-26 does not meet current interstate standards and cannot yet be designated as I-26. My understanding is that the planned I-26 Connector project would not upgrade this entire stretch. If true, are there any plans currently on the drawing board to upgrade the section of Future I-26 that is not covered by the I-26 Connector project?
A:  Yes there are plans to do that under a project designated as A-0010A. Currently a portion of that is designated to be funded for construction in 2022 from Broadway to US 25. The other sections are still unfunded at this time.

Still a long way to go ..........
edit
Here is a link to NCDOT's webpage for the project, which indicates that ROW acquisition should begin in 2018:
http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/us19-23improvements/

Note however that Hillary Clinton, at least, has promised that she will restore a dedicated ARC funding stream if elected (whether she can deliver on this promise, of course, is a completely open question given that Congress has the power of the purse, not the president). If that happens, I'd imagine projects on the slow or back burner like the remainder of Corridor V (and maybe even the Interstate upgrade for the Batesville-Tupelo section - I'm not sure how that would interact with the 100% federal funding rule), I-99 north of I-80, and the Beltline will get renewed attention.

(above quote from Birmingham Northern Beltline (I-422, I-959) thread)

As long as the possibility that Clinton's plan would fund interstate upgrades of ARC corridors is being discussed, then I'd like to throw Corridor B's hat into the ring for an acceleration of the plans to completely upgrade it to I-26. 

[hbelkins]

As long as the possibility that Clinton's plan would fund interstate upgrades of ARC corridors is being discussed, then I'd like to throw Corridor B's hat into the ring for an acceleration of the plans to completely upgrade it to I-26. 

Not needed in Virginia or Kentucky. The existing four-lane US 23 moves traffic just fine, except in Coal Run Village (commercial area north of Pikeville) and downtown Ashland, and in the Weber City area between the TN/VA line and Gate City.