Last Updated on June 7, 2015 5:41 pm
Highway 105, the main route between Boone and the Avery County line, is set to become the last of the three major travel routes in Watauga County for widening and improvements.
On Tuesday June 16, 2015 NCDOT will hold a public meeting to show residents the plans for the project and to answer any questions. The open house style meeting will be held at the Watauga Campus of Caldwell Community College, building W372, from 4-7pm.
There will not be a formal presentation, but project team members will be available to answer questions and receive comments during the meeting.
NCDOT proposes to improve N.C. 105 from Old Shulls Mill Road to N.C. 105 Bypass. Improvements include extending the existing passing lane south of Broadstone Road, and widening to four lanes with a median between Broadstone Road and N.C. 105 Bypass. Shoulders will be widened and paved through this section.
According to NCDOT, the purposes of this project are 1: to reduce congestion on N.C. 105 for commuters and visitors, 2: to reduce rear-end and run-off road crashes, and 3: to improve bicycle facilities in areas where capacity or safety improvements are proposed.
A previous set of public meetings was held in August 2011. At that time, the project limits were from U.S. 221 in Linville to N.C. 105 Bypass in Boone. Since that time, the traffic has been revisited, and the new traffic forecast does not anticipate sufficient future traffic volumes between Linville and Foscoe to justify improvements on that section at this time. Existing traffic volumes have dropped due to the recession and projections are lower because of a corresponding slow-down in development in the region. The new traffic volumes continue to show a need for improvements east of Foscoe, and the project limits and proposed improvements have been changed to reflect the anticipated future need.
Graphics: NCDOT
