Little Labor on U.S. 321 During Holiday Weekend

ASHEVILLE, NC (September 1, 2016)…Driving to and through Blowing Rock for the Labor Day Holiday weekend will be a bit of a breeze.

N.C. Department of Transportation officials will open all lanes of U.S. 321 on Friday afternoon in construction areas of the High Country project.

In order to maintain efforts to expedite construction on the project and help it stay on schedule, full construction teams will remain on their sites until 4 p.m. on Friday. Over the three-day weekend, a smaller crew may remain in the area to continue construction with no lane restrictions.

The normal operational schedule will resume on Sept. 6, continuing the work from Friday.

The widening of U.S. 321 from Blackberry Road in Caldwell Country through Blowing Rock to just north of U.S. 221 is a $66 million project. It is the type of construction that fits into Governor McCrory’s 25-year Vision for Transportation to enhance travel safety and better connect North Carolinians to careers, education health care and recreation.

All lanes between U.S. 221/North Main Street at the north end and U.S. 321 Business on the south end were opened in time for the Independence Day holiday weekend, and that area has been substantially completed. Most construction is now concentrated from U.S. 321 Business down the mountain to Blackberry Road.

Motorists are encouraged to stay alert and even though work may be suspended, lanes may be narrower in work zone areas. Also drivers should be patient, obey the posted speed limit and avoid distracted driving.

In addition, the Department of Transportation and the Governor’s Highway Safety Program have already launched the Labor Day Booze It and Loose It campaign, stepping up enforcement of impaired driving laws through Sept. 5.

For details about the project, call the project information line at 828-964-3260 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday.

For real-time travel information, visit the Traveler Services section of NCDOT.gov or follow NCDOT on Twitter.