u/ApartActivity2818

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The French Broad River MPO is considering a Smokey Park Highway Access Management project between I-40 and Pisgah Highway.

If you've driven this stretch of road, you know there are a lot of driveways, side streets, businesses, and turning movements competing with through traffic. Access management looks at how those points of access are arranged to reduce conflicts and make the corridor safer and more predictable.

Potential improvements could include:

• 🚗 Smoother traffic flow and fewer delays
• 🛡️ Fewer conflict points between turning and through traffic
• ↔️ Better-organized driveways and access points
• 🚦 Improved turning movements at key locations
• 🚶 Better conditions for people walking and biking
• 🏪 Maintaining access to local businesses

This isn't a construction project yet. It's currently in the planning and development stage and has been identified as a regional priority by the MPO.

As part of North Carolina's P8.0 transportation prioritization process, the MPO is proposing to use Local Input Points to help move the project forward.

Have thoughts about Smokey Park Highway? The MPO is accepting comments through August 19.

📧 Send comments to mpo@landofsky.org

The French Broad River MPO is currently considering the Tunnel Road Road Diet—a proposal to reconfigure Tunnel Road between the Beaucatcher Tunnel and South Tunnel Road.

And this isn't simply a proposal to “take away a lane.”

The project includes major roadway realignments and intersection improvements intended to improve safety, traffic operations, and connectivity along the corridor.

A road diet generally means reconfiguring existing roadway space to make it work better for everyone. Depending on the corridor, that can mean narrower or fewer travel lanes, a center turn lane, bike facilities, pedestrian improvements, or other changes.

Potential benefits of the Tunnel Road project include:

• 🚶 Better pedestrian facilities and safety
• 🚲 Improved accommodations for people biking
• 🚦 Improvements at key intersections
• 🛡️ Fewer opportunities for conflicts and crashes
• 🛣️ More efficient use of the existing right-of-way
• 🏙️ A more connected corridor

The project is still in the planning and development stage and isn't a construction project yet. The MPO has identified it as a regional transportation priority and is proposing to invest Local Input Points in the project through North Carolina's current P8.0 transportation prioritization process.

Want to weigh in? The MPO is accepting comments through August 19.

📧 Send comments to mpo@landofsky.org

Curious what folks who actually drive, bike, walk, or take transit along Tunnel Road think about the proposal.

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🚆 REGIONAL PRIORITY PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: WNC PASSENGER RAIL

Could passenger trains return to Asheville?

The proposed Western North Carolina Passenger Rail project would upgrade the existing rail corridor between Asheville and Salisbury to support future intercity passenger rail service.

From Salisbury, passengers could connect to North Carolina’s growing passenger rail network, with connections toward Charlotte, the Triad, the Triangle, and destinations throughout the East Coast.

Passenger rail could:
🚆 Give Western North Carolina another way to travel
🏔️ Better connect our mountain communities to the rest of the state
📈 Support tourism and local businesses
🛣️ Provide an alternative to driving on I-40

What’s the status?
The project is still in the planning and development process. It is not yet ready for construction or passenger service, but it has been identified as a regional transportation priority by the French Broad River MPO.

As part of North Carolina’s current transportation prioritization process, the MPO is proposing to award the project the maximum number of Regional Impact Local Input Points available to our region in order to enhance the project's chances of being awarded funding.

💬 Want to weigh in? Submit your comments through August 19: mpo@landofsky.org

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