Lightning editorial: What to watch in 2019

From the Hendersonville Lightning editorial page: ". . . Municipal elections in Henderson County are generally ho-hum affairs, especially when Hendersonville has no mayor’s race. With the already announced retirement of Flat Rock Mayor Bob Staton, the question becomes whether Historic Flat Rock and the activist organization Cultural Landscape Group Flat Rock field a candidate...

Still there. . .

Kanuga Road project R-5748 update

At today's Henderson County Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting, the MPO representative announced that the Kanuga Road project has been delayed by two years. Right-of-way acquisition has been moved to 2021, with construction scheduled for 2023.

MPO public input opportunities

The French Broad River MPO has posted two public input opportunities so that they can hear from you: Amendments to the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). To be considered by the MPO Board on January 24. Send comments on the proposed amendments  to mpo@landofsky.org through January 23 or make them in person at the MPO Board...

10-year highway plan contains no new projects for county

The N.C. Department of Transportation on Thursday unveiled a draft 10-year transportation plan for 2020-2029 at the monthly Board of Transportation meeting in Raleigh. The 10-year plan includes no major new projects in Henderson County, the largest county in the 10-county Division 14. . . Continue reading

Flat Rock imposes new rules on yard signs

CLG comment in the Hendersonville Lightning: "Our concern is that the First Amendment guarantees citizens the right to express their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their government and anytime that’s curtailed it’s concerning.” Continue reading

The Top 10, No. 1: The war of the roads

From the Hendersonville Lightning: "A proposed Highland Lake Road project turned the usually sedate Flat Rock Village Council meetings into jam-packed public forums filled with project opponents. At Laurel Park, Hendersonville and Mills River council meetings, residents turned out to oppose roundabouts on U.S. 64, Kanuga Road work, a White Street widening and an N.C....

Protected or prohibited?: The sign saga continues. . .

Since 2013, the Village of Flat Rock has had a sign control ordinance to help establish rules for how, when, and where signs can be displayed in the village. CLG, in order to educate the public on the N. Highland Lake Road project, had yard signs available for display by residents interested in making their...

NCDOT update: Primary roads cleared, secondary roads should be done Wednesday

As of early afternoon Tuesday, primary routes like Interstate 26 and U.S. 64 and Highway 191 were still clear and open to traffic, and snowplows are working on secondary roadways. Crews were expected to keep plowing into Wednesday until all state-maintained roads were cleared, NCDOT Spokesman David Uchiyama said. . . Continue reading

T-N: Kanuga Road widening tweaked after county, DOT meeting

". . . Cindy Ward was one who spoke out during public comment, saying she and others don’t want the project to move forward as it is. She cited impacts to more than 200 homes and at least 12 businesses. She also spoke of the more than 500 trees, including seven already designated as Heritage...

Sign the 191 Alliance petition

From the 191 Alliance group: "While the petition concerns the widening of 191 to 4-lanes specifically, it is also a referendum on all county projects that our county commissioners, the French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization, and NCDOT approve of without our input and their lack of open communication and transparency."

T-N editorial: Review 191 plan assumptions

. . . But the question remains, are four lanes needed? Traffic forecasts DOT used to justify the project were conducted in 2017, when the Balfour Parkway was still planned. Those projections took into account other projects, such as plans to widen I-26, but a lot of things can change in 12 or 22 years....

T-N: 191 Alliance challenges widening plans; Traffic study completed

. . . Without Balfour Parkway and after the work at the schools, [group member Judi] Levinson and the 191 Alliance say that 191's problems can be solved by less impactful measures like widened shoulders, turn lanes and merge lanes. Another concern they have with the plan is whether or not it will create a...

NC Moves 2050 public input survey

From now until November 30, you can participate in both an online survey and leave comments on an interactive map about the future transportation challenges across North Carolina and what should be the future focus of transportation in our region. NCDOT will use the feedback to help shape the vision and goals for its next long-range transportation plan, called NC Moves 2050,...

T-N: Letter to the editor

Pulling a fast one To the editor: The N.C. Department of Transportation has done it again, pulling a fast one on the city of Hendersonville and county of Henderson! First, it has an outside firm redraw the roundabout at Kanuga, to propose a signalized intersection, deliberately drawn to show this plan would impact property owners more...

Today is the final day to send comments to NCDOT on the Kanuga Road project (NCDOT project no. R-5748): By mail to Jeffrey Dayton, PE, 555 Fayetteville Street, Suite 900, Raleigh, NC 27601 By email to jeffrey.dayton@hdrinc.com

T-N: Letters to the editor re: Kanuga Road

Today's Times-News includes two letters to the editor about the Kanuga Road project: Kanuga Project The Kanuga project meeting reported 233 wrecks on Kanuga over the past five years. The cause is not roadway, one word — speed. This project will not improve the wreck situation, and it might worsen it as folks will now...