T-N: Asphalt plant proposed near East Flat Rock; Meeting set for neighbors

From the Times-News: An asphalt plant has been proposed at the Spartanburg Highway and U.S. 25 interchange near East Flat Rock. Jeff Shipman of SE Asphalt is asking for the county to conditionally rezone 6.5 acres off Spartanburg Highway to construct a new asphalt drum plant. The land is currently zoned community commercial. A neighborhood...

Hendersonville Lightning: Senators grill NCDOT on overspending

From the Hendersonville Lightning: . . . [Senate Transportation Committee] Lawmakers asked [NCDOT] department officials how, in fiscal year 2018-19, the DOT spent $742 million more than its budget, based on a May audit report. Senators reviewed the department’s budgeting process, its oversight mechanisms and its responsibility for the budget hole that threw the transportation...

Hendersonville Lightning: Top DOT engineer paints grim picture of agency’s finances

From the Hendersonville Lightning: New highway projects are frozen, routine maintenance such as mowing, patching and ditch-clearing is delayed and NCDOT employees across the state are being sent home as the agency faces a severe cash shortage. Brian Burch, the top DOT official for the 10-county Division 14, painted a grim picture of the agency’s...

Hendersonville Lightning: Village Council boots new park entrance

From the Hendersonville Lightning: The Flat Rock Village Council has scrapped the idea of a new entrance to the Park at Flat Rock for now, agreeing to evaluate traffic patterns and sightlines when the NCDOT completes the Highland Lake Road project. . . “In my mind [the driveway cut] is way too close to all...

News & Observer: Faced with a sharp drop in revenue, NCDOT furloughs thousands of employees statewide

From The News & Observer (May 18, 2020): N.C. Department of Transportation employees were told Monday that they will need to take unpaid time off by the end of June to help the department save money. The furloughs begin this week with “executive leadership,” who must take 30 hours of unpaid leave, followed next week...

NCDOT Performance Audit May 2020

Interested in NCDOT's current cash balance situation and financial performance? You can review the NCDOT Cash Spending Plan Performance Audit, May 2020, from the State Auditor here.  This document includes the full report and NCDOT’s official response.

May newsletter from State Sen. Chuck Edwards (N.C. senate district 48)

Update on COVID-19 fund distribution and small business loan programs among other things.

T-N: Audit: NCDOT overspent by $740M in 2019

From the Times-News: The N.C. Department of Transportation spent $740 million beyond what it planned to last year, state auditors said Tuesday as they urged stronger oversight of how DOT and its regional offices handle finances. The performance review by State Auditor Beth Wood’s office found DOT had spent $6.68 billion on road construction and...

Hendersonville Lightning: Highland Lake Road project not among jettisoned NCDOT projects

From the Hendersonville Lightning: As people across North Carolina heed a statewide stay-home order to curb the spread of COVID-19, traffic volumes have plummeted, causing at least a $300 million budget shortfall for the N.C. Department of Transportation in the current fiscal year and an uncertain forecast for the next budget year. . . Projects...

April newsletter from State Rep. Chuck McGrady (NC House district 117)

A legislative session during a pandemic.

Bike/ped feasibility study

In 2018, the Village of Flat Rock received a grant from NCDOT to look at the feasibility of a bike/ped path connecting the Park at Flat Rock with the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site. The final draft report of that study has been completed and is available for review. Final presentation of the report...

The March 30 village council agenda meeting and the April 9 regular monthly council meeting have been cancelled.

The March 18 Henderson County Transportation Advisory Committee meeting has been cancelled.

MTP 2045 public workshop March 2

Make sure your voice is heard! Monday, March 2, from 12 noon to 3:00 p.m. at the Henderson County Library in Hendersonville, join the French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) staff for a workshop on the MPO Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) that will document the region's vision for its transportation system (highways, transit, bike/ped,...

March 2 council agenda meeting location change

The March 2 Flat Rock Village Council agenda meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m. in the Rudnick Community Room at The Park at Flat Rock (55 Highland Golf Drive) due to the Board of Elections use of the Flat Rock village hall in preparation for the March 3 primary.

T-N: Ecusta Trail: Henderson County eyes grant money for greenway project

From today's Times-News: The Ecusta Trail in Henderson County could be one step closer to reality after county staff got the green light Wednesday for the Board of Commissioners to apply for a grant. The French Broad River MPO currently has a call out for projects for Surface Transportation Block Grant funds. As a member...

WSJ: We’re from the Government and we’re here to build a bike path

From the Wall Street Journal (behind a paywall so below is just a snippet): . . . The practice of government taking land for recreational uses—typically bike lanes, hiking paths and fashionable “rail trails” and “greenways”—is spreading across the country, marking a sharp and troubling expansion of eminent domain. The Takings Clause of the Constitution’s...

City of Hendersonville online survey on city projects

The City of Hendersonville has an online survey for community input on current city projects, including downtown parking, parking deck, police station, fire stations, mini-golf and tennis court relocation, downtown hotel, and 7th Avenue streetscape.

Council meeting location change

The February 13 Flat Rock Village Council regular meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m. in the Rudnick Community Room at The Park at Flat Rock (55 Highland Golf Drive) due to the Board of Elections use of the Flat Rock village hall for early voting.

Mathematicians have solved traffic jams, and they’re begging cities to listen

From an article in Fast Company: Most traffic jams are unnecessary, and this deeply irks mathematicians who specialize in traffic flow. They reserve particular vitriol for local transport engineers. “They do not have competencies in the field of system-related increases in traffic performance,” says Alexander Krylatov, a mathematics professor at St. Petersburg University. “If engineers...