ASHEVILLE – A critical corridor in Asheville is set to open again from Biltmore Avenue to Bleachery Boulevard.
Local N.C. Department of Transportation engineers anticipate opening Swannanoa River Road (N.C. 81) on Friday afternoon following six months of cleanup, restoration and construction by multiple agencies.
Hurricane Helene destroyed the corridor — much more than just the road and its components — by flooding the Swannanoa River. Partners including the City of Asheville, Army Corps of Engineers, Buncombe County, utility providers and their contractors all operated in the corridor, sometimes at the same time.
Reopening the highway reconnects several neighborhoods, including Oakley, with other parts of the city and provides drivers an alternative to Fairview Road, Interstate 40 or I-240.
“We basically started from scratch,” said Paul Roberts, NCDOT Buncombe County Maintenance Engineer. “You’re not just looking at roadway items, but all the utilities like water lines, overhead cables, traffic signals. Everything was damaged.”
NCDOT crews and contractors repaired, rebuilt or reconstructed nearly every element of the 3-mile stretch from Biltmore Avenue on the western end to Tunnel Road on the eastern side. The stretch from Fairview Road to Tunnel Road opened in late January.
Roberts, with assistance from local NCDOT teams in construction and traffic services, oversaw NCDOT operations in the corridor. NCDOT Buncombe County crews and contractors rebuilt shoulders, rebuilt the road base, installed guardrail, evaluated more than 15 drainage structures or culverts and replaced them with appropriately sized structures.
NCDOT construction crews and contractors rebuilt approach areas to bridges — including the Wood Avenue bridge — and traffic services installed new lane markings across the corridor and a new signal system where Swannanoa River Road, South Tunnel Road and Wood Avenue meet with pedestrian improvements.
“The improvements that were made, make it better than it was before,” Roberts said. “Restoring this vital corridor helps our communities with their recovery efforts. We appreciate the collaboration with all the parties that helped make this happen. It’s something that we’re proud of, and it’s something that should help the citizens and residents of Asheville.”