Formula 421
Council, DOT discuss highway project

By Frank Ruggiero

It’s a topic that offers a wide berth for discussion.

Seated at the table, from left, NCDOT Division 11 construction engineer Trent Beaver, district engineer Michael Poe and division maintenance engineer Charles Reinhardt discuss traffic and road improvement matters at a May 2 meeting with the Boone Town Council. Photo by Frank Ruggiero

A special meeting of the Boone Town Council with N.C. Department of Transportation (DOT) officials offered questions and answers about the U.S. 421 widening project.

The project would see the widening of U.S. 421 from Hardin Street to N.C. 194, modifying the four-lane roadway to a six-lane divided highway.

The 1.1 mile project weighs in at a grand total of $34.8 million, including right of way acquisition and construction.

In the process, one residential property owner and 65 residential tenants will be displaced, while on the business side, nine business owners and 21 business tenants will be displaced.

Right of way acquisitions are still under way.

The DOT expects to award the project bid on April 21, 2009, after which construction will begin.

“This is a fairly significant project, considering it’s just a little over a mile long,” said Mike Pettyjohn, division engineer of the DOT’s Division 11.

Pettyjohn said engineers are pushing to finish the portion from N.C. 194 to N.C. 105 Extension in 2010 to accommodate the opening of the new Watauga High School in the Perkinsville area.

“We can’t guarantee we’ll make that, but that’s what we’re gunning for,” he said, adding that the remainder of the project, from N.C. 105 Extension to Hardin Street, should be completed by 2011-12.

Because of the area’s short construction seasons, due mainly to inclement weather, Pettyjohn said the DOT would try to complete as much as possible on the first leg of work, so roadwork is not in the way by the time the school opens.

“We hope to have most of two construction seasons for that first part, and the contractor may be able to work throughout the project during this time, as well, but we plan to emphasize the first part by stipulating intermediate completion times in the contract,” Pettyjohn later said.

Mayor pro tem Lynne Mason asked Pettyjohn if he anticipated construction crews working day or night, and Pettyjohn said to meet the schedule, they may need to work through both day and night.

“Probably, we may have to look at them trying to reduce their time in the road during peak hours, but we’ll pretty much let them have it 24 hours a day to meet this schedule,” he said.

Trent Beaver, division construction engineer, said time restrictions factor into total contract time Furthermore, the DOT would like to meet with the town to discuss ways to minimize restrictions, he said.

Council member Stephen Phillips asked if there are any plans to help reroute traffic during the construction period, and Pettyjohn said there really is no route with which to do so.

“We know locals will reroute themselves somewhat, because they know some of the local roads, but as far as directing out-of-state, out-of-town people and trucks, there really is just no place to go,” Pettyjohn said.

In response to the town’s inquiries about street lighting for the entire project area, he said ornamental or decorative lighting could be provided by the town, which would also be responsible for power and maintenance cost.

Regarding sidewalks on both sides of the project, Pettyjohn said they will be furnished with the state and town splitting the cost 70/30 percent, respectively. Concerning bicycle lanes, he said the outside lanes will be widened by two feet, boosting the total width to 14 feet, to accommodate bicycle traffic.

N.C. Rep. Cullie Tarleton asked if the lanes would be marked or striped to indicate a dedicated bicycle lane, and Pettyjohn said that varies across the state. Since there is also two feet of curb and gutter, the bicycle lanes should be four feet total, the typical width of such a lane. The grates near the curb will be angled to accommodate bicycle tires, Pettyjohn added.

As far as pedestrian crosswalks and intersection crossing heads are concerned, Pettyjohn said crosswalks and signals will be considered during the signal design phase, though crosswalks will not be provided at non-signalized locations. Furthermore, the DOT does not recommend a pedestrian signal between N.C. 105 and Hardin Street.

Concerning landscaping, Pettyjohn said the area between N.C. 194 and N.C. 105 Extension will be difficult, as there is not much room to “soften” all the new concrete. Safety is also a factor, in that a worker would need enough room to maintain the greenery.

Depending on how much is planted, the town might also be required to share in the cost of landscaping, he added, as well as being responsible for its maintenance. Phillips stressed the importance of proper landscaping on U.S. 421, as Boone’s economy is tourism-based, and that stretch of road is visitors’ first impression of the town.

In order to maintain the hotels perched on the ridge above the highway, Pettyjohn said retaining walls would be required, and the DOT is considering a two-tiered structure.

For the walls’ surface, he said the plan is to have architectural surface treatment, in which the concrete is formed with a certain design and color, both of which would be the town’s choice.

The level between both tiers will likely be landscaped with grass, as anything more substantial could prove troublesome for maintenance.

Since the renovations will eventually remove left-turn access to secondary streets between the N.C. 105 Extension and Hardin Street, the town requested at least one controlled crossover, preferably near Boone Public Works.

Due to minimum spacing requirement between the median crossovers, however, Pettyjohn said the DOT would not be able to provide left-turn access at that location.