Proposed Boone Bypass

[WashuOtaku]

There goes NC wanting to build another new road again! Perhaps this might be incorporated into a potential I-x40 spur from Winston-Salem.

They could have already done that by now if they wanted too, US 421 is freeway from Winston-Salem west to Wilkesboro now.  US 421 is a major highway in its own right in the state, even having control cities towards Sanford on signage where US 421 overlaps with I-73 and I-85 in Greensboro.

[MBHockey13]

As someone who travels to Boone on occasion, they could most definitely justify this bypass. US-421 should be 4-laned all the way to I-81.

This would also be a possible alternate to closures on I-40 due to rock slides, which has been known to happen on occasion.

As far as bike paths and public transportation being a better alternative to reduce all of the traffic through Boone on US-421? HA HA HA HA 

[broadhurst04]

As someone who travels to Boone on occasion, they could most definitely justify this bypass. US-421 should be 4-laned all the way to I-81.

This would also be a possible alternate to closures on I-40 due to rock slides, which has been known to happen on occasion.

As far as bike paths and public transportation being a better alternative to reduce all of the traffic through Boone on US-421? HA HA HA HA 

How do you get past Iron Mountain and Holston Mountain on 421 between Mtn. City and Bristol? Tunnel under them or blast through them? If you want 421 4 lanes all the way to 81, won't you have to build a bypass around Bristol to avoid razing houses in town?

[hbelkins]

As someone who travels to Boone on occasion, they could most definitely justify this bypass. US-421 should be 4-laned all the way to I-81.

This would also be a possible alternate to closures on I-40 due to rock slides, which has been known to happen on occasion.

As far as bike paths and public transportation being a better alternative to reduce all of the traffic through Boone on US-421? HA HA HA HA 

How do you get past Iron Mountain and Holston Mountain on 421 between Mtn. City and Bristol? Tunnel under them or blast through them? If you want 421 4 lanes all the way to 81, won't you have to build a bypass around Bristol to avoid razing houses in town?

Virginia has widened part of US 58 from Abingdon toward Damascus, and the routing of US 58 and VA/TN 91 between Abingdon and Mountain City is relatively level. That might be the easiest and best option for an improved route between Boone and I-81. US 421 crosses two hellacious mountains. I drove it once just to clinch 421 in Tennessee but don't ever plan on driving it again.

[DSS5]

Virginia has widened part of US 58 from Abingdon toward Damascus, and the routing of US 58 and VA/TN 91 between Abingdon and Mountain City is relatively level. That might be the easiest and best option for an improved route between Boone and I-81. US 421 crosses two hellacious mountains. I drove it once just to clinch 421 in Tennessee but don't ever plan on driving it again.

As a fairly regular traveler between Boone and Abingdon, I would like a Damascus bypass. But I don't think there are any plans in the works for one.

In response to an earlier comment, it may be true that 421 "bypasses" Wilkesboro, but they allowed ridiculous amounts of development along new 421 and now it's a pain to get through. They should have just made it an expressway all the way to where it starts climbing mountains near the county line. Instead they just created a new bottleneck.