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I-26 Asheville Connector Debate Continues.
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Walter Kulash, an Orland-based traffic engineer and North Carolina State University graduate, was invited to speak in Asheville on the proposed widening of I-240 by opponents of the DOT plan. The proposed DOT plan will result in the loss of 106 residences and 60 businesses in the West Asheville area and has galvanized opposition against the current DOT proposal.
Traffic Engineer Walter Kulash feels widening the I-26 connector to eight lanes is unnecessary and will not achieve its desired objective of reducing traffic congestion. The North Carolina Department of Transportation has proposed to widen I-240 to eight lanes to counter future traffic congestion. However, according to Kulash, "build it and they will come" will be the net result of additional traffic lanes. Additional traffic lanes will simply attract more traffic and result in the subsequent traffic congestion during peak traffic periods.
The proposed widening is part of a larger project called the Asheville Connector, which would involve widening I-240 between the I-26/I-40/I-240 interchange and the west end of the Smoky Park Bridge and building a four-lane freeway to bypass the bridge and connect with U.S. 19-23-70 near Montford.
Kulash asked the question, "does traffic really have to flow freely during the peak of the day, or can it slow down to 25 to 30 mph?" Kuslash feels that if I-240 remained a four-land highway, but with improved entrance/exit ramps, the projected 2020 traffic volume would flow at acceptable rates even during peak traffic periods.
Recently elected AshevilleCity Councilman Brian Peterson said at a recent Asheville City Council meeting, "I'm concerned that we're not looking at all the options. I-240, as it is now, is a Berlin wall in West Asheville. It divides the community. It's going to further divide West Asheville."
"This project is not set in stone," Kulash said. "There are still opportunities for input from the community." He encouraged Asheville and Buncombe County residents to voice their opposition at future DOT hearings and to encourage their council representatives to seek alternative solutions for the I-26 Connector Plan.
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