Stecoah – There is no reason to break out torches and pitchforks: the first phase of Corridor K construction is still set to begin next spring.
Even the second phase has been awarded.
But phase three? Think of it as the N.C. Department of Transportation simply tapping its brakes – and not even hard enough to institute the anti-lock system.
The department has been looking to get the Corridor K project – first conceived as part of the Appalachian Development Highway System – off the books since its first mention in 1965. So even though the project has made more progress in the last two years than the previous 55, another bump in the road is nothing to panic over.
Pure and simple, construction costs have soared. Materials are scarce – so therefore, they are expensive.
And thus, with over $163 million doled out to two different groups for the first two segments, another $40 million is being sought by the department to help fund the final leg, which will run from Stecoah Gap, continue south on N.C. 28 – once N.C. 143 reaches its eastern terminus – and finish after connecting with the 4-lane highway already in place at Wolf Creek General Store.
The common term used for the unsealing of bids, letting took place for phases 1 and 2 right on schedule: Aug. 16 and Sept. 20. Phase 3 was originally set for Oct. 18 letting, but the date came and went without any action.
The Graham Star procured a letter from the state department of transportation’s website soon thereafter, which explained the lack of news: there was no news to report. An Oct. 11 letter from N.C. Department of Transportation State Contract Officer Ronald E. Davenport, Jr., announced the withdrawal of the letting – just one week before the process. At the time, the letter stated that letting for Phase 3 would instead take place at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15.
But in a Friday interview with the department’s communications officer, David Uchiyama, new details emerged on the delay.
Officially dubbed “Section CC,” the 5.4-mile improvement is now being sub-divided into two parts. Letting for the CC section – which will now travel from Stecoah Gap to Stecoah Road on N.C. 28 (2.593 miles) – will now occur in December.
From there, “Section CD” will improve N.C. 28 from Stecoah Road to Wolf Creek store and span 1.511 miles.
Letting for the CD section is scheduled for October 2023.
Included in the final part of the process are climbing-lane and shoulder improvements, as well as the construction of a multi-use path in the heart of Stecoah.
“We want to continue building on the progress already made by awarding $163 million in contracts to build 7.7 miles of road plus the land bridge with the Appalachian Trail and sidewalk in Robbinsville,” Uchiyama explained. “Letting a CC section of shorter distance provides that continuity.”
Uchiyama later noted that the CC section would be fully funded by the $40-million grant the department is seeking.
Phases
The delays will do little to deter the schedule of the first two segments designated for improvement in Graham County.
Phase 1 will stretch from Five Points Road in Robbinsville, continue to the U.S. 129/N.C. 143 intersection at Ingles, travel east on N.C. 143 and end at Beech Creek Road in the Sweetwater community. At a length of 5.9 miles, the improvements will feature the widening of shoulders to 10 feet (8 of which will be paved) and the addition of a third lane, both universal upgrades for the entire project. Crews will also construct sidewalks in Robbinsville.
Franklin-based Watson Contracting, Inc. was awarded the contract after the Aug. 16 unveiling, bidding $47.5 million for the rights.
The 3.9-mile strip of phase two continues on N.C. 143 from Beech Creek Road to just before the Appalachian Trail crossing at Stecoah Gap. Far and away the most expensive endeavor, Sevierville, Tenn.-based Charles Blalock & Sons, Inc.’s bid of $116,407,729.70 was the lowest received.
But the increased cost from the original estimate of $83,824,722.24 (38.9 percent) proved draining to the remaining funds. For those keeping score at home, Watson Contracting’s bid for the initial phase was just 1.9 percent higher than the estimate of $46,624,005.25.
However, phase one does not include the construction of a $5 million land bridge – the first of its kind in North Carolina – which will allow wildlife and hikers alike to pass over the roadway at Stecoah Gap, uninterrupted. Additionally, N.C. 28 will be widened to four lanes at the gap.
Originally conceived as a 128-mile improvement, “Corridor K” was to span from I-40 near Waynesville to I-75 in Cleveland, Tenn. The majority of the project has already been completed, but officials hit a snag when attempting to determine how to best pass through the mountainous region of Graham County. The last visible sign of improvements made to date are the 9.8-mile section of N.C. 28 that branches off from U.S. 74 in Almond and funnels into a two-lane road at Wolf Creek General Store.
Ideas spitballed in the 1990s included tunnels that would connect N.C. 28 to N.C. 143 by going through the mountains.
Activists for the Appalachian Trail quickly disagreed with the concept, and the project stalled until a deal was struck to construct the land bridge in 2015.
Later, a 2018 roadway study was conducted by the N.C. Department of Transportation, where charting determined that – at most – tunnels through the mountains would save five minutes of travel time.
Instead, public hearings held in Stecoah and Robbinsville in 2020 revealed the current plan. Little opposition was heard at either hearing.
The projected end date for the improvements is 2024, but there will still be work left to be done.
Officials will next have to determine the best course of action for the final connection of the project: how to navigate from Robbinsville to Andrews more efficiently. Improvements to the existing 4-lane in Andrews will finally bring a close to what looks to be a 60-plus year project.
Mill Creek bridge
One day after the DOT held a groundbreaking for Corridor K at Robbinsville High School, a public meeting was to be held concerning the removal of an aging bridge in Graham County.
But the Oct. 4 event at Robbinsville Elementary School was postponed and The Star confirmed Friday that a new hearing would be held Nov. 15 at the school.
A start time has not been set, however.
Officials are concerned about a bridge – said to have “reached the end of its service” in a Sept. 28 press release – on Lower Mill Creek Drive, located off Tallulah Road (U.S. 129 North). The loop is connected by the bridge, but the transportation department wants to simply tear down the bridge and construct a pair of turnarounds. The road is roughly 0.5 miles in length.
The Graham Star livestreamed the Oct. 3 groundbreaking for Corridor K, which was held at Robbinsville High School. To view the video – which features a visit from N.C. Department of Transportation Secretary Eric Boyette – visit grahamstar.com.