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Traffic concerns on Webster’s agenda
By Lynn Hotaling
When Webster officials last week (Jan. 5) discussed what they see as an increasingly dangerous traffic situation on N.C. 116, problems outnumbered solutions.
Town leaders peppered N.C. Department of Transportation Division Engineer Joel Setzer with questions and ideas, but he didn’t have any definitive answers.
“I didn’t come with a bagful of tricks,” he said.
Town board members’ concerns center around the stretch of N.C. 116 that was Webster’s “Main Street” in the days when Webster was the county seat. Once the site of a courthouse, jail, store and several hotels and boarding houses, the section of state highway these days serves as a shortcut from U.S. 441 to Southwestern Community College and Smoky Mountain High School. Sylva became county seat in 1913..
“Do you have any creative solutions?” board member Louise Bedford asked Setzer, referring to frequent accidents at the sharp curve at the intersection of 116 and one end of Buchanan Loop.
“The problem is that there are more people and more traffic now,” Setzer said. “People drive faster now. I believe most of the accidents are related to speed.”
Saying that he was “stating the obvious,” Setzer pointed out that Webster will always have a problem with speeding because it’s not a destination.
“The majority of traffic is trying to get through,” he said.
According to Setzer, the ultimate solution may be a road that relieves 116 of its traffic burden.
“If I lived here, I’d want a new road,” he said. “I know that’s controversial in this county, but I’d want a new road that would allow my road to be a local road.”
The “controversy” Setzer referred to erupted during the summer of 2003 when DOT unveiled plans for a Southern Loop – a new four-lane road that would intersect with U.S. 441 near Cagle Branch and U.S. 23/74 near Blanton Branch. A public outcry put those plans on hold as a vocal group of county residents, including many from Webster, protested what they perceived as the adverse effects of the increased development they anticipated such a road would bring. The Southern Loop remains on the DOT’s Transportation Improvement Plan, though without a scheduled start date or allocated funding.
Board members then asked Setzer about the possibility of a round-about or stop signs or other warning signs.
“We could talk about signs – we get requests for stop signs – but those are unpopular with people passing through,” Setzer said.
“We don’t care about people passing through,” said board member Laura Spaulding. “We’re concerned about the safety of our children.”
Setzer pointed out that stop signs sometimes increase accidents and sometimes have to be removed for liability reasons. Also he said, DOT policy is not to use stop signs to control speed.
Board member Jean Davenport asked about the possibility of a median to narrow the lanes and force drivers to slow down, but Setzer said the road would have to be widened to introduce any devices aimed at slowing traffic.
When a round-about was proposed for the sharp curve, Setzer agreed that they could be effective at intersections but said construction would require property acquisition.
“I’ll give the corner of my yard,” said Spaulding, who heads Webster’s Traffic and Safety Committee.
Davenport asked Setzer how Webster should proceed if the town wanted to request a round-about or other solution.
Setzer said the town could apply for a DOT improvement project and promised to provide information on the procedures board members should follow.
Diane Schallock, a member of the Traffic Committee, asked Setzer if 116 had a traffic problem in DOT’s opinion.
“It’s not as big as some,” he said. “It’s primarily a speed issue. I’m not sure there’s the crash history to say it’s a safety issue.”
“It’s a miracle there aren’t more deaths,” Bedford said. “To my knowledge there have been only three in the past 50 years.”
Neal Morgan, a member of Webster’s planning board, asked if some vehicles – such as large trucks – could be prohibited from driving through Webster.
Doing so would require the identification of an alternate route suitable for trucks of similar length and driving time.
Morgan suggested that instead of traveling on N.C. 116, trucks could remain on N.C. 107, then take Business 23 to U.S. 74 West and continue to U.S. 441 at Dillsboro.
“That’s quite a bit longer,” Setzer said. “I don’t think it would qualify.”
Davenport then asked about the possibility of a traffic light at the 116/Buchanan Loop intersection.
Setzer said that traffic signals are only erected in accordance with strict federal guidelines, and that it takes a large volume of traffic to justify one.
If the town wants to pursue a signal, officials should apply to DOT for one.
“If it meets the guidelines, we’ll install it,” he said.
Another potential solution posed is the idea of random policing. Board members asked their Traffic Committee to look into that and possibly seek guidance from Forest Hills, which employs off-duty deputies for law enforcement.
In other business Jan. 5:
– Board members decided to ask town lawyer Bill Coward to write a letter to the owner of two abandoned vehicles. Town ordinances prohibit vehicles without current license and registration.
Zoning inspector Jim Myers asked that the town planning board look into strengthening the ordinance to allow for the towing of such vehicles if the owners won’t move them.
– Webster board members and planning officials will hold a retreat this Saturday, Jan. 14, from 10 a.m. until noon at town hall.
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