NCDOT Planning 74 Projects in Division 11: All eight counties involved in plans

RALEIGH, NC (August 8, 2019) — More than 1,700 projects are included in the N.C. Department of Transportation’s final draft of its 2020-2029 Statewide 10-Year Transportation Plan, which was released this week. The draft STIP includes projects across all transportation modes and in every county in the state.

The complete draft STIP list can be found on the NCDOT website.

In Division 11, which includes Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Caldwell, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes and Yadkin counties, there are 74 projects including 20 new projects. Among the improvements planned are:

• Modernizing N.C. 89 from Toast Road to Pine Ridge Road including the Pine Ridge Road intersection in Surry County;

• Constructing a ramp from Dudley Shoals Road to U.S. 321 South in Caldwell County;

• Building a roundabout on U.S. 421 at Popular Grove Road in Watauga County;

• Building a roundabout on Falcon Road with Old U.S. 421 in Yadkin County.

“We are adding 20 new projects to the STIP to address the growth that we are experiencing in Division 11 to help our transportation needs,” Division 11 Project Development Engineer Wayne Atkins said. “There are projects in each of our eight counties which will benefit all of our citizens in some manner. We look forward to starting the process of bringing all of the new projects to fruition.”

The department’s 10-year transportation plan is updated every two years. Projects scheduled in the first six years of the plan are considered committed and are not re-evaluated when a new plan is developed. Projects in the final four years of each plan are prioritized again based on technical data, as well as input from local officials and residents.

The overall statewide list includes 1,319 highway projects, 86 aviation, 234 bike and pedestrian, six ferry, 23 public transit and 50 rail projects selected on statewide, regional and division levels. The projects were prioritized based on technical data as well as input from local officials and residents.

Included in the plan are more than 200 projects worth about $2.5 billion that are scheduled to be awarded in fiscal year 2019-2020.

The draft plan includes 385 changes in highway projects from the initial draft STIP. Some are new projects, while others have had schedule adjustments.

The Board of Transportation is expected to consider final approval of the draft plan at its September meeting.

More information about the STIP and how transportation projects are funded is available on the NCDOT website.