Smart Roads Alliance members, from left,
Lyda Aydlett, Jeannette Evans and Avram Friedman review maps
of Sylva and the surrounding communities in anticipation of
upcoming meetings scheduled for July 15 and July 29. For more
information about Smart Roads meetings, call Lydia Aydlett at
631-3824 or Harold Messer at 586-9416.
The Smart Roads Alliance will hold a meeting to address questions
area residents have about the proposed Sylva Bypass on Tuesday,
July 15, at 7 p.m. in Room 215 of the Justice Center.
The meeting will allow citizens an opportunity to express their
concerns about the effects the proposed highway road will have
on their homes, property and quality of life, an Alliance member
said.
The Smart Roads Alliance was formed in September 2002 in anticipation
of the Department of Transportation's publication of a feasibility
study for a Southern Loop/Sylva Bypass. Several community forums
were held over the last year focusing on the DOT road building
process, alternatives for improving traffic flow on N.C. 107,
and lessons learned by other communities in dealing with problems
of traffic congestion.
"Despite unanimous proposals to the DOT from the town boards
of Webster and Sylva and Jackson County commissioners, the DOT
did not include a feasibility study or even mention a Traffic/Access
Management plan for N.C. 107 in their recently published Bypass
plan," said member Lydia Aydlett.
The July 15 meeting will provide citizens with ideas of what
they can do to prevent the bypass from being constructed.
"The Smart Roads Alliance is committed not just to stopping
the proposed Sylva Bypass, but to finding ways to improve the
traffic flow, safety and physical appearance of N.C. 107,"
Aydlett said.
The Alliance has also arranged for a national traffic expert
Dan Burden to speak to community leaders, business leaders and
concerned citizens on ways to manage traffic problems without
creating new roads. Burden will be in Jackson County Monday
and Tuesday, July 28 and 29, and will speak to the public at
the Community Service Center Tuesday at 7 p.m.
For more information about Smart Roads meetings, call Lydia
Aydlett at 631-3824 or Harold Messer at 586-9416.
