Pavement for the Peavine?

The N.C. Department of Transportation ranks some of McDowell County’s long-requested road improvements as projects worth doing, even if there is no specific funding or timetable set.

The paving of the Peavine Trail, the construction of sidewalks along the five lane and the widening of Rutherford Road to three lanes all ranked highly among other competing projects from across North Carolina.

The state DOT released its initial priority rankings for items that have been submitted for the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). The priority rankings contain no specific information about funding or when these proposed improvements will become a reality.

“However, the rankings should be an indicator of what projects may have a better chance of being on the STIP and 10 Year Work Program,” said City Manager Bob Boyette. “It’s encouraging that some of our projects rank pretty high.”

District Engineer Doug McNeal said in the past few years, the DOT has made a concerted effort to rank projects based on local input as well as information about what kind of effects these road improvements would have on their communities.

“This is the first step in getting a project funded for construction,” said McNeal. “We are not quite ready to build them yet but they are getting a strong look. Being that they ranked so high, it is good news for the community.”

The paving and landscaping of the Peavine Trail was ranked fifth out of 271 total bicycle/multiuse projects statewide. The work has an estimated cost of $1 million.

City officials hope this effort would make it easier for folks to use the Peavine Trail. The old railroad line that many local folks called the Peavine used to branch off from the Southern Railway’s mainline. It ran across State Street and Virginia Avenue, past Oak Grove Cemetery and East Marion and continued south alongside Rutherford Road.

With the old tracks gone and the property owned by the city, walkers and cyclists have enjoyed traveling along the trail where freight trains once ran. If funded by the state, the Peavine could be paved and landscaped to make it more convenient and attractive for walkers and cyclists. An old trestle that stands behind Mi Pueblito Mexican Restaurant could either be demolished or restored, depending on what option is most feasible.

“We hope it might be a way to deal with the trestle,” said Boyette.

The proposed addition of sidewalks along the length of the five lane also ranked high in the STIP initial rankings. It came in at 33^rd out of 354 pedestrian facilities projects statewide. The idea is to add sidewalks starting at Logan Street and running along the five lane. It would continue on U.S. 70 West to the entrance road at West McDowell Junior High School. This work is estimated to cost $4 million.

Boyette said this would also help pedestrians reach the Joseph McDowell Historical Catawba Greenway, which is located on the other side of U.S. 70 West. A sidewalk will soon be built along that section of the highway to link the school with the greenway.

Another effort involving the greenway also ranked high. An additional phase for the riverside park came in at 76^th out of the 271 bicycle/multiuse projects statewide. It has an estimated cost of $1.4 million.

Boyette explained that this greenway extension being ranked by the DOT would go westward towards the Carson House. It would not be the second phase that is planned to continue eastward and end at the McDowell House. The city has already received a state recreation grant for that part and is hoping to get more state recreation funding. But with help from the DOT, the greenway could be expanded into another direction.

The proposed widening of Rutherford Road to three lanes ranked high. It came in at 36^th out of 267 regional highway projects. The work would extend from Georgia Avenue all the way to the U.S. 221 bypass with an estimated cost of $8.62 million. It would include the installation of curb and gutter for that part of Rutherford Road.

The proposed widening of N.C. 226 from Interstate 40 to the 221 bypass came in at 50^th out of 267 regional highway projects. It has an estimated cost of $12.7 million. A suggested bypass around U.S. 70 in Marion came in at 117^th out of the 267 regional projects. It could cost more than $100 million. And a proposed widening of N.C. 226 from U.S. 221 to Highway 19E in Mitchell County ranks at 186^th out of the 267 regional projects. It has an estimated $55 million cost.

The STIP initial rankings include the planned widening of U.S. 221 South. The DOT proposes to widen a 19-mile section of U.S. 221 to a multilane, divided highway. The first and biggest part of the project starts in Rutherford County and continues northward through the Gilkey, Thermal City, Vein Mountain and Glenwood communities. This 15-mile section will end at Goose Creek Road. The other section will next continue at Goose Creek Road and end at the U.S. 221 bypass in Marion.

The DOT will hold two open houses and public hearings about the proposed widening of U.S. 221 South next month. The first will be held Monday, March 12 at R-S Central High School near Rutherfordton. The second will be held Tuesday, March 13 at the Community Building in Marion.

Both events will have a pre-hearing open house from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and a formal public hearing starting at 7 p.m.

DOT representatives will be available at these events to answer questions and receive comments from the public.

Although the state is gearing up to do this long-awaited and much-discussed effort, a similar widening of the same highway north of Marion did not rank as high. The STIP ranks the widening of U.S. 221 North from North Cove School Road to English Road at 264^th out of 304 highway projects statewide.

The STIP also calls for upgrades for the section of N.C. 226, from U.S. 221 North to Coxes Creek Road. Tate Street, from the bypass to West Court Street, would also get fixed up too.

All of these rankings are very preliminary and subject to change. The DOT said these rankings are based on data and local input, but have not been subjected to funding, scheduling and legal matters. Therefore, the rankings in the DOT’s final Draft STIP and the draft 10 Year Work Program may be different.

At last week’’s City Council meeting, Boyette said the DOT is taking a different approach to how it prioritizes road improvements. The rankings are based more on their merits, rather than political factors. 

“This is a new process that the DOT is going through,” said Boyette. “At least, we have a seat at the table and a chance to submit these projects.”