Bridge construction on Pleasant Grove Road in the Reems Creek Community. Crews completely disassembled the old bridge and are in the process of building it back (bigger and better?). According to the North Carolina DOT web site, construction should end mid-August. Fortunately for Reems Creek commuters, this one hasn’t been nearly the disruption as the bridge work on 19/23.

According to the North Carolina DOT Travel Information page, they will be doing bridge repairs tonight on Monticello Road near Tractor Supply and the Weaverville Fire Department . Construction is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. tonight (July 27, 2009) and last until 6 a.m. tomorrow. Info:

Location
Buncombe County, Near Weaverville
SR-1727 (Monticello Rd), Both Directions
Lane Closed – 1 of 2 lanes closed.
Expected Impact to traffic is Low
Start Time: 7/27/2009 06:00 PM
End Time:  7/28/2009 06:00 AM

Reason
Night Time Construction: Lane Closed
Bridge management will be making repairs to bridge deck near tractor supply and weaverville fire dept…. lanes and directions will change as work progresses

Lane Closings today near Weaverville. From North Carolina DOT Travel Information:

• 9 a.m.-Noon: One lane of US 19/23, Future I-26 eastbound at the bridge over Ivy Creek (near Mars Hill Highway) will be closed for bridge inspection
• 1-3:30 p.m.: One lane of US 19/23, Future I-26 westbound at the bridge over Reems Creek (near Aiken Road) will be closed for bridge inspection.

From the latest Carolina Mountain Club newsletter. This is the section near Craggy Gardens, approximately 8 miles north of the Blue Ridge Parkway Weaverville exit:

On May 15, the National Park Service is scheduled to reopen the Blue Ridge Parkway between Asheville and Mount Mitchell, ending a two-year closure that made access to the popular park difficult. For a while, only one lane will be open, so driving will be slow. However, this is just a plan. If you’re planning to drive on the Parkway north, call the BRP information line to confirm. The recording is at (828) 298 0398.

This bridge off Reems Creek Road near Herron Cove and Longs Chapel Roads is being replaced. According to the DOT, the road will be closed until September 2. From the DOT Travel Information page:

Road closure begins: near the intersection of South Main Street Extension and Herron Cove Road
Road Closur ends: near the intersection of Longs Chapel Road and Herron Cove Road.
Detour: South Main Street Extension to Reems Creek Road to 19/23 (Weaverville Highway) to Stoney Knob Road.

Hat tip: Bob K.

Thanks to Ashvegas for publishing this memo about the I-26 Connector Project Schedule.  Though construction may not be stretching into Weaverville it will definitely affect how we get to Asheville and other points West.  If you don’t know much about the project, this January 2009 Mountain Xpress article is a good place to start.

From an Asheville city memorandum:

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide an update on the anticipated schedule for the I-26 Connector project. The information should be considered tentative and accurate as of this date but it is subject to change.

The subject project is following the “merger process” which is a shared decision-making process designed to streamline project development and permitting by establishing a project team to ensure that all laws and rules are followed. The process establishes a series of concurrence points (total of seven) that require agreement of the team for a project to move forward. This process has been used successfully on about 240 projects throughout the state and it has consistently reduced project time and improved project quality. The anticipated schedule is listed as follows:

Jun 2009 Concurrence point meeting to solidify Alternate 4B as a viable alternate and to bring it up to the same level of review as the other alternates.

Aug 2009 The supplemental draft environmental impact statement including Alternate 4B should be completed and released for public review and comment.

Sep 2009 The corridor public hearing meeting should be held to discuss the supplemental draft environmental impact statement.

Oct 2009 The post public hearing meeting should be held.

Dec 2009 Concurrence point meetings to select the preferred alternate and to optimize the design and benefits of the project while reducing the environmental impacts should be held.

Oct 2010 The record of decision (ROD) and the design public hearing should occur.

FY 2011 Right-of-way acquisition should begin.

FY 2013 Construction should begin.

The detour signs are gone and Aiken Road is open again. The road has been closed since a tractor trailer struck the underside of this bridge earlier in the year.

The annual Weaverville Christmas Parade takes place this Saturday, December 6.  The Parade will begin on North Main Street at 1 p.m. and end at Yost Street. They have approximately 76 entries in this year’s parade.  More info:

Parade Route

• 1 p.m.: Begin at North Main Street-Monticello Road-Dula Springs Road intersection
• Follow Main Street past Weaver Blvd., through downtown Weaverville to Yost Street
• Floats will then turn up Merrimon Avenue to find their way home, but will no longer be in parade formation

Road Closures

• 12:55-1:45 p.m. – North Buncombe School Road; North Main Street at the intersection of Monticello Road and Dula Springs Road
• 1:15-1:50 p.m. – Main Street at Weaver Blvd.
• 1:15 until parade ends – Main Street and all adjoining streets through the downtown area; Merrimon Avenue and all adjoining streets between Main Street and Banks Town Road.

No Parking
Parking will not be allowed on the East side of Main Street (the Weaverville Library side) beginning Saturday morning until the roads reopen after the Parade.

Canned Goods Drive
Cub Scout Pack #15 and Boy Scout Troop # 15 will be picking up canned goods during the Parade.  Both groups will be pushing grocery carts along the parade route beginning at 1 p.m.  They encourage people to contribute goods to help the needy at Christmas.

Weaverville Library Box Sale
The Friends of the Weaverville Library will be holding their annual “Box Sale” before, during and after the Parade (10 a.m.- 3 p.m.). For $5 you get a box which you can fill with used books, tapes, videos, novels, biographies, children’s books, and more.

Just a reminder that 19-23 Northbound will be closed again this weekend while repair work continues on the Aiken Road bridge. The detour will be in place beginning at 7 p.m. tonight through 11 a.m. Monday.

Detour route:
Detour: All US 19 23 Northbound (Future I 26 West) traffic must detour at Exit 21 (New Stock Road). At the bottom of the exit ramp turn left onto New Stock Road and follow New Stock Road for 2.5 mi. to Monticello Road. At Monticello Road, turn right and follow Monticello Road for 1.0 mi. to US 25 70. At US 25 70, turn right and follow US 25 70 for 0.5 mi. to US 19 23 (Future I 26). Please note that motorists traveling on US 19 23 Business will not have direct access to New Stock Road or US 19 23 (Future I 26) at the New Stock Road Interchange. In addition, motorists exiting US 19 23 (Future I 26) at New Stock Road will not have access to US 19 23 Business. US 19 23 Business can still be accessed via other interchange points along this corridor.

The Aiken Road bridge is finally going to be repaired, and road closures and detours will be in place beginning tomorrow (Friday, November 7) and continuing on weekends thru November 23 (weather permitting).  Here’s the info:

The North Carolina Department of Transportation will be closing both northbound lanes of US 19-23 (Future I-26 West) to repair the Aiken Road bridge, damaged earlier this year by an accident. The road will be closed on the weekends of November 7-10, 14-17, and 21-23. The road will close each Friday at 8 p.m. and will reopen each Monday at 11 a.m. except for the weekend of November 21-23.  On that weekend the road will reopen at midnight on Sunday. Southbound traffic will not be affected during this closure. Work will be contingent upon suitable weather.

Project updates will supposedly be available on the Road Conditions section of the NC Department of Transportation Division of Highways website,  though as of this moment they don’t have these construction dates and detour routes listed.

Here’s the detour route:

Driving North on US 19/23 (Future I-26 West) traffic will take exit number 21, travel to bottom of ramp and free flow thru signal, make a left turn onto SR 1882 (New Stock Road), continue on New Stock Road to SR 1727 (Monticello Road), free flow through this intersection and continue on Monticello Road to its intersection with US 25-70. There will be an active traffic signal at this intersection. Turn right on US 25-70, go across bridge over US 19/23 (Future I-26 West) and turn left to on ramp for US 19/23 (Future I-26 West) and resume traveling on US 19/23 (Future I-26 West) at exit 19. All traffic traveling on US 19/23 Business will not be allowed to access New Stock Road. This is necessary to allow all the traffic from US 19/23 (Future I-26 West) to free flow through this intersection.

from the Governor’s office:

Gov. Mike Easley announced that state and local law enforcement officers will increase their presence during the Fourth of July holiday as part of the Booze It & Lose It: “Operation Firecracker” campaign. Checkpoints and stepped-up patrols will be conducted from Friday, June 27, through Sunday, July 6, across the state in an effort to remove impaired drivers from the roads.

“Law enforcement officers will be out in force, sending a strong message to motorists that drinking and driving will not be tolerated,” Easley said. “The Fourth of July holiday is one of the deadliest for highway travel and we want people to be safe by celebrating responsibly.”

Last year, 60 North Carolina motorists were involved in fatal traffic crashes during the Independence Day holiday week. Twenty-one of those fatalities were alcohol-related. Alcohol-related crashes also accounted for 411 injuries in the state during the same week in 2007.

Officers charged more than 2,100 North Carolina motorists with driving while impaired during the 2007 Booze It & Lose It:” Operation Firecracker” campaign. More than 6,173 stepped-up patrols and checkpoints were held.

For more information regarding Booze It & Lose It campaigns or for citation totals, visit the Governor’s Highway Safety Program web site.

In other words, don’t drink and drive.

According to the DOT in a Citizen-Times article, the closure of the bridge on Aiken Road (where it crosses over U.S. 19-13-25-70) could continue for weeks.  Seems an excavator hauled by a truck struck the underside of the bridge and caused enough damage that the bridge has to be closed until it can be determined what needs to be done.

Update, November 7, 2008:  Repair work has begun.  Details here.