12-mile project conceived in 1965
Robbinsville – Fifty-seven years in the making, the ceremony to mark the start of the ‘Corridor K’ highway project in Graham County on Monday morning was delayed by another hour and a half.
The event was held at Robbinsville High School about a quarter mile from Sweetwater Road, where the highway project will take place.
N.C. Department of Transportation Secretary Eric Boyette was the ceremony’s keynote official, but his flight from Raleigh to Andrews was diverted to Knoxville due to fog.
The transportation secretary’s arrival was delayed by transportation and Boyette’s entourage was forced to take the Tail of the Dragon to reach Robbinsville for the ceremony. It gave Boyette a first-hand opportunity to see how hard it can be to get to Graham County under some conditions and the irony was not lost on the secretary.
“What happened to us today is a prime example of why this project is needed,” Boyette said.
The delay resulted in two ceremonies. The first had remarks delivered to Robbinsville High School students by Dirk Cody, the local board member of the N.C. Board of Transportation; Connie Orr, chair of the Graham County Board of Commissioners; and Wanda Austin, Division 14 engineer with N.C. DOT.
The second ceremony was largely a repeat of the first ceremony – only this time it included Boyette, and was delivered mainly to local, state and federal officials.
Long-awaited road
In 1965, when the concept of Corridor K was first mentioned, Orr and Cody – two of Graham County’s elder statesmen – were teenagers.
The plan was to improve access to remote Appalachian Mountain counties from Interstate 75 near Cleveland, Tenn., to Interstate 40 near Waynesville with a widened 128-mile stretch of highway.
Much of the expanded highway has been completed, with Graham County being central to remaining unfinished portions — the “missing link,” as Orr described it.
Three projects – totaling 13 miles – will result in a three-lane highway between Robbinsville and the four-lane starting at Wolf Creek (the only four-lane highway in Graham County). The third lane will be a passing lane.
The project also includes an extra wide 10-foot shoulder (8 feet of which will be paved), sidewalks in Robbinsville and a multi-use path in Stecoah.
The project also includes a crossover at Stecoah Gap that will be fitted with natural landscaping and accommodate both the Appalachian Trail and a wildlife crossing.
Improved highway access has a myriad of benefits, from safer school bus routes and better access, to medical and educational opportunities for local residents, to an improved route for truck deliveries and visiting tourists.
Wanda Austin, the area’s division engineer, said the project will be “transformative” for Graham County and is the result of years of cooperation between numerous county, region, state and federal agencies.
“We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the groundwork laid before us,” she said.
She said the project will accomplish the primary goals of mobility and reliability, while also preserving key environmental and cultural aspects.
Work to commence
A pre-construction conference is expected this week, with Franklin-based Watson Contracting, Inc. awarded the first section of highway, at a cost of $47.5 million (just 1.9 percent higher than the estimated $46,624,005.25). The first phase will run from the Five Points Road/U.S. Highway 129 intersection in Robbinsville to Beech Creek Road in the Sweetwater community (N.C. Highway 143).
Some work may begin this year, but major construction isn’t expected before spring 2023.
The next stretch – from Beech Creek to Stecoah Gap including the land bridge – is expected to follow shortly and cost $116 million. It is more complex because of the land bridge. The rugged terrain will be constructed by Sevierville, Tenn.-based Charles Blalock & Sons Inc., which beat out Wright Brothers Construction Co. Inc. of Charleston, Tenn. Charles Blalock & Sons Inc.’s bid was $116,407,729.70 – or 38.9 percent above the estimate of $83,824,724.44.
The final stretch to Wolf Creek is expected to be awarded Tuesday, Oct. 18. It is estimated to cost $75 million.
Completion of the section from Robbinsville to Stecoah will leave the next key section still in development – from Robbinsville to the four-lane highway in Andrews.
Once completed, Corridor K will permit traffic including truckers to bypass the Nantahala Gorge with a wider, straighter highway. That section is still in the planning stages.