Project Highlights

The N.C. Department of Transportation is working with the French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization, the City of Asheville, Buncombe County, the local NCDOT division staff, and others to determine the appropriate roadway design for the proposed improvements.  Biologists, architectural historians, archaeologists and community planners will conduct field surveys of the project study area during summer and fall of 2018 to assess the natural and human environments present within the area. Results of the surveys will be detailed in various reports, including a community characteristics report.

In addition, discussions are underway about including sidewalks and bicycle lanes as part of the proposed improvements. The project team anticipates holding a project scoping meeting with the regulatory resource agencies in November 2018, after which, work on the preliminary designs will begin.  A public workshop will be held prior to the identification of the preferred alternative in order to get input from the public and other project stakeholders who wish to comment on a preferred plan of action or suggest other alternatives or improvements.

Once designs are ready, NCDOT will hold a public meeting to present detailed designs for review and comment.  NCDOT will notify the public through various channels including on this project webpage, on the NCDOT public meetings webpage( https://www.ncdot.gov/news/public-meetings/),  through advertising in local papers, local radio, and direct mailings to property owners, business owners, and current residents in the project study area.  

TYPICAL SECTIONS:

Several Typical Sections are being considered and NCDOT is seeking your input on them.    Please review the information below and provide responses to questions.

TYPICAL SECTION A

TYPICAL SECTION B

TYPICAL SECTION C

Public Involvement

Public Meetings

An Open-House Public Meeting will be held on March 28, 2019 to obtain stakeholder and public input regarding the project.   You may drop in any time between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Public Meeting Maps:

As mapping becomes available it will be posted here as well as on the public meetings website. 

https://ncdot.gov/news/public-Meetings (Search U-4739)

The handout to be used at the public meeting is available in the document section below.

Project Funding

This project is listed as Project U-4739 in the N.C. Department of Transportation’s State Transportation  Improvement Program  (STIP) and is funded for $49.3 million.

* Estimated costs are subject to change. Based on NCDOT STIP.

Project Timeline

* Future dates are preliminary and subject to change

PROJECT CONTACT INFORMATION 

Beverly Robinson

Project Manager

NCDOT Project Development Unit

Divisions 11-14

1582 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, NC  27699-1582

[email protected]

         919-707-6041

PROJECT CONTACT INFORMATION 

Craig Young, PE

Consultant Project Manager

Three Oaks Engineering

324 Blackwell Street, Suite 1200

Durham, NC  27701

[email protected]

        919-656-6581

History of the Project

Widening of Amboy and Meadow Road is included in the French Broad River’s 2040 Comprehensive Transportation Plan, with a recommendation for a four lane ‘Urban/Suburban Avenue’ cross section (http://fbrmpo.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Additional-Projects-and-Project-Modifications.pdf).  The recommended speed limit is 45 MPH.  The project is part of the Wilma Dykeman Riverway Master Plan, which also identifies STIP Project U-5019, Improvements to Lyman Road, which intersects Amboy Road at Meadow Road. 

For the U-5109 project, the City of Asheville completed an environmental analysis document in 2013 and identified the preferred alternative for Lyman Road as a two-lane roadway typical section that includes sidewalks, multi-use paths, and planted medians, as recommended by the Wilma Dykeman Riverway Master Plan. The speed limit is recommended to be 25 MPH.  This two-lane alternative was chosen due to constraints including the French Broad River and the Norfolk Southern rail system, and to provide for safer transportation for bicycles and pedestrians. 

Due to similar goals and constraints on the U-4739 (Amboy/Meadow Road) widening project, roadway typical cross section features proposed as part of the Lyman Road project will also be considered.

It is anticipated that the preferred alternative for U-4739 will closely match that of U-5019 due to similar constraints and goals. 

RESOURCES FOR PROPERTY OWNERS 

Although the N.C. Department of Transportation works to minimize the number of homes and businesses displaced by a road project, it is inevitable, in many cases, that a certain amount of private property is needed. The following information explains right of way acquisition and answers questions about the process.  

Relocation Assistance Brochure                                                 Asistencia para Reubicación      
Right-of-Way Acquisition Process Brochure                             Folleto del Proceso de Adquisición de Bienes Raíces
Right-of-Way Frequently Asked Questions