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Mill Street slated for repaving this summer
By Derek Hodges
The N.C. Department of Transportation has let a contract to resurface Mill Street in conjunction with the town of Sylva’s work to renovate the road.
The work on one of downtown’s main arteries will begin during the summer, Sylva town Manager Jay Denton said.
According to Bill Parrish, an engineer at the local NCDOT office, the state’s part of the Mill Street project will include “extensive” repaving work. It is part of several contracts to improve local roads recently awarded by the N.C. Board of Transportation.
The Mill Street work will include the entire road, beginning where the road divides from Main Street at the west (Courthouse) end of town and ending where the two roads reconnect in front of Main and Mill Restaurant, Parrish said.
Sylva’s part of the streetscape project will include the installation of new curbs and gutters, decorative pavers and landscaping.
In addition, the board let four other contracts for the resurfacing and rehabilitation of area highways. Work is set to begin in mid-April and be completed in October. According to Parrish, contracts include:
U.S. 64 from its intersection with N.C. 107 to the Transylvania county line. This work will exclude approximately half a mile near Cedar Creek Road that will be concurrently restored after a landslide.
N.C. 107 from the crossroads in Cashiers to Laurel Knob Road. The highway will also be improved and expanded from Laurel Knob to just past the entrance to Blue Ridge School.
U.S. 441 in Cherokee from the intersection where U.S. 441 Business breaks off to the Swain County line.
Skyland Drive in Sylva, from its intersection with U.S. 23 Business to the first railroad track crossing.
The contract for all the work, totaling nearly 10 miles, was awarded to Harrison Construction Co. of Alcoa, Tenn., at a cost of $2.2 million.
“I am pleased that so many comprehensive improvements are going to be made to local highways,” said Jackson County Commissioner Conrad Burrell of Sylva, who represents the region on the Board of Transportation. “The widening and resurfacing of these thoroughfares will have a tremendous impact on the mobility of our citizens and will greatly improve travel through the region.”
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