DOT study lists alternatives to NC 109 traffic

Jul 29, 2010 — High Point Enterprise

Darrick Ignasiak

Jul. 29, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- THOMASVILLE -- The N.C. 109 feasibility study, released recently by the N.C. Department of Transportation, lists six alternatives to mitigate current and future traffic congestion through Thomasville.

--Alternative One, which would cost $37.8 million, addresses congestion along the commercialized area of N.C. 109 from south of Interstate 85 to the Julian Avenue intersection with Cloniger Street, a length of about 1.5 miles. The study, which implements the northern end of future N.C. 109 improvements, includes intersection improvements and reconstruction of the Interstate 85 interchange. Improvements to N.C. 109 north of Julian Avenue through downtown Thomasville were considered to be not feasible as widening N.C. 109 and bridging over the railroad near Main Street would involve substantial property damages and community impacts. Alternative one would relocate 29 residences and businesses.

--Alternative Two, which would cost $70.7 million, is a parallel route to N.C. 109 around the west side of Thomasville. It starts at N.C. 109 south of Lambeth Road and travels west on a new location to join Lake Road. It continues north along Baptist Children's Home Road, Peace Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to Interstate 85 Business Loop, a length of about 5 miles. Alternative two provides interchanges with Interstate 85 and Interstate 85 Business Loop, and it implements part of the future Thomasville Southern Loop. The study states that benefits associated with alternative two include wide traffic lanes, an alignment that may not require substantial reconstruction, compatible posted speed limits, and the use of an existing bridge over the railroad near Main Street. There is the potential for impacts to minority and low-income neighborhoods along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, according to the study. Alternative two would relocate 152 residences and businesses.

--Alternative Three was considered early in the project's development. It follows Alternative Two from N.C. 109 to Lake Road at Fisher Ferry Road to Winston Street and joins N.C. 109 at Interstate 85 Business Loop, a length of 5.2 miles. There is not enough space between existing interchanges on Interstate 85 to allow a new interchange with Fisher Ferry Road on Alternative Three, the study states. A new bridge over the railroad near Main Street would be disruptive to development in the downtown area. There are numerous low-income houses and historic properties located along the alternative, the alignment is poor and the existing lane widths are inadequate, according to the study. The study states for these reasons, this alternative was not considered feasible and was eliminated from further consideration.

--Alternative Four, which would cost $97.4 million, includes Alternative One and the closest parallel route to N.C. 109 along the east side of downtown Thomasville that follows Julian Avenue, continues to Maple Avenue, and extends on a new location to join Unity Street. It continues along Unity Street to N.C. 109 and then north on N.C. 109 to Interstate 85 Business Loop, a length of about 4.5 miles. The alternative provides a multilane route with interchanges at Interstate 85 and Interstate 85 Business Loop. It implements part of the High Point Metropolitan Planning Organization Thoroughfare plan with the extension of Julian Avenue from Main Street to Unity Street. Benefits of Alternative Four include maintaining the existing railroad bridge near Main Street; the N.C. 109 route designation could be shifted to the new route; wide traffic lanes and compatible posted speed limits south of Main Street. Substantial community impact, however, would occur along the northern part of Main Street to N.C. 109.

Alternative Four would relocate 178 residences and businesses.

--Alternative Five, which would cost $99.9 million, is a parallel route to N.C. 109 along the east side of Thomasville. It follows N.C. 109 from south of Lambeth Road and joins N.C. 62 (Cloniger Drive), Liberty Drive, Turner Street, and National Highway to Interstate 85 Business Loop, a length of about 4.7 miles. Benefits include the extension of a multi-lane facility from N.C. 109 south of Thomasville to National Highway for improved access between the two interstate facilities. It also includes a new bridge over the railroad near Main Street. The disadvantage is that it does not have a direct interchange with Interstate 85. It joins National Highway north of Thomasville instead of N.C. 109 to provide access to Interstate 85 Business Loop. Construction costs are highest from Blair Street to National Highway at Interstate 85 Business Loop due to the extensive widening and the railroad grade separation. Substantial community impacts occur along Liberty Drive between Cloniger Street and Blair Street. Alternative five would relocate 250 residences and businesses.

--Alternative Six, which would cost $262.7 million, combines links from the High Point Metropolitan Planning Organization Thoroughfare Plan to determine their overall benefit to traffic operations within the Thomasville area roadway network. It examines the combined roadway system improvements from Alternatives One, Two, Four and Five to implement links in the High Point MPO Thoroughfare plan. With Alternative Six, there is some improvement in traffic operations at N.C. 109 intersections as compared with other alternatives alone. Alternative Six would relocate 578 residences and businesses.

Future traffic projections indicate that Alternatives Two, Four, Five and Six divert less than 20 percent of the traffic from N.C. 109.

dignasiak@hpe.com -- 888-3657

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