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By Carey Phillips
and Rose Hooper
While acknowledging the proposed Southern Loop bypass appears
to have little in the way of public support, N.C. Department of
Transportation officials say they are willing to look at any and
all options to alleviate the traffic problem on N.C. 107.
At the same time, Ron Watson, head of the 14th division DOT office,
and Conrad Burrell, the area's DOT board member, say they want
to dispel myths and misinformation being circulated about the
proposed highway, which would run from U.S. 23-441 south of Dillsboro
to U.S. 23-74 east of Sylva.
"We are looking at all kind of options to alleviate the traffic
and safety problem on N.C. 107," said Watson. The proposed
Southern Loop is one of those options - but not the only one,
he and Burrell stressed.
"We are listening to the public opinion out there,"
said Burrell, who plans to call a meeting of elected officials
and leaders from Western Carolina University and Southwestern
Community College.
If the meeting results in a consensus to look at options for improving
N.C. 107 traffic, Watson said the next step would be for DOT to
request funds for planning and environmental studies. Studies
of this sort would produce numerous alternates, ranging from building
a four-lane Southern Loop to doing nothing. One of the options
would look only at access management on N.C. 107, which is what
many bypass opponents have proposed.
Another option would be improving existing roads, such as N.C.
116, to provide better access between U.S. 23-441 and N.C. 107.
In some stretches, a short segment of new highway might be needed,
according to Watson.
This option, Watson said, would not work for a connector between
N.C. 107 and U.S. 23-74. Cope Creek Road is not a viable alternative
because traffic would be dumped onto N.C. 107 in the middle of
an already congested area, he said.
"You look at all the possibilities, and you're not committed
to doing any of them," Watson said.
"Back in 1984 Sylva Town Board members asked for a thoroughfare
plan, and one of that plan's recommendations was a Southern Loop,"
Burrell said. "At the 2000 Transportation Improvement Plan
meeting held at SCC, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners
- I was on that board - asked for a study of N.C. 107 to help
solve the traffic problems."
When he was named to the DOT board in February 2001, Burrell said
he felt the citizens' main transportation concern for Jackson
County was a Southern Loop. However, the recent ground swell of
opposition has caused Burrell and the DOT to reconsider.
"People on the street, at the Coffee Shop and the Pancake
Barn are telling me we need that Southern Loop," said Burrell,
noting that public meetings were just the opposite.
"At the meeting hosted by Smart Growth Alliance, all you
hear is opposition," Burrell said. "And the letters
to the editor in The Sylva Herald haven't been too favorable either.
"WCU Chancellor Dr. John Bardo stated the university is not
taking a position on the Southern Loop," said Burrell.
Elected officials in Webster, which would be greatly affected
by the proposed Southern Loop, have gone on record in opposition.
Those actions prompted Burrell's decision to bring county leaders
together for a face-to-face meeting.
"We need to get their feeling for what they'd like to do,"
he said. "After we get their feeling, Ron and I can take
it from there."
"The real facts are we have to do something," said Watson.
"There's 30,000 vehicles on that road right now. Think what
it will be like 25 years from now. If we don't plan now, it will
be a nightmare.
"Looking at the possibilities does not mean a commitment,"
Watson added. "We'll have public meetings along the way and
if there is strong public objection, we can stop at any time."
"The town of Sylva has to expand," Burrell said. "The
only way it has to go is out N.C. 107. The new Department of Social
Services building being built on N.C. 116 will put more traffic
on the road. Plus, we have the projected increase of 5,000 students
at WCU.
"That's why we say the need for planning a new road is now
because even if we started tomorrow, it would be eight years before
the road is built," said Burrell.
One of the myths Watson addressed is that "a burning desire
to build roads," exists among DOT officials.
"That's just not true," he said. "First off, we
don't have the money, and secondly, we have enough to do now.
"But what we do have," Watson continued, "is a
desire to help with the county's needs in a responsible way."
Some opponents of the Southern Loop have expressed concern about
commercial development along the route, said Watson. That wouldn't
happen because the highway would be controlled access. If any
part of the road is built, development might occur where the road
intersects U.S. 23-74, he said. Even there, he left open the possibility
that DOT could buy land around the intersection and limit development
options.
A DOT expert on access management will be invited to Sylva to
look at N.C. 107. However, Watson is skeptical that access management
alone would be successful in improving traffic flow.
"There's a myth that access management on N.C. 107 is going
to be quick and painless," he said. "When people understand
what access management means, there's going to be opposition.
A lot of business will be hurt."
Access management was among the suggestions proposed by Dan Burden,
executive director of Walkable Communities, during a presentation
last month sponsored by the Smart Roads Alliance. Watson said
Burden's ideas work great on neighborhood roads but are not as
adaptable to major corridors such as N.C. 107.
For example, Watson questioned Burden's proposal that a roundabout
be constructed at the intersection on N.C. 107 and U.S. 23 Business.
"Roundabouts are OK up to a certain number of cars, but there
is a limit to the number they can handle," Watson said.
He put that limit for a two-lane roundabout, as proposed by Burden,
at 25,000-30,000 cars a day, which Watson said is the range already
using the intersection. Any improvements need to be designed for
that area to handle 45,000-50,000 cars a day, Watson said.
A DOT feasibility study released in June proposed two alternatives
for the Southern Loop. The northern route would leave U.S. 23-441
near Mockingbird Lane, run north of Webster, intersect with N.C.
107 just south of Cope Creek Road and connect with U.S. 23-74
near Blanton Branch. Construction and right-of-way costs total
an estimated $193,800,000 for the 6.3-mile route.
The 8.6-mile southern alternative would leave U.S. 23-441 near
Cagle Branch Road, cross N.C. 116 near Webster Baptist Church,
follow the approximate route of South River Road to its intersection
with N.C. 107, run just west (Sylva side) of Locust Creek Road
and connect with U.S. 23-74 near Blanton Branch. Estimated costs
for construction and right-of-way acquisition is $227,400,000.
If the road is built, Burrell said he is now looking at the southern
alternative as two separate projects, with project "A"
being the Locust Creek section - "the most critical and probably
the first to be built" - and "B" as the Webster
section.
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