ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Two transportation projects that could change how people get around Asheville are getting attention from the French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization.
One would reshape a busy stretch of Tunnel Road. The other could potentially restore passenger rail service between Asheville and the rest of North Carolina’s passenger rail network.
Neither project is ready for construction, but both are being considered as part of North Carolina’s current transportation prioritization process, known as Prioritization 8.0.
The MPO is seeking public comment through Aug. 19 as it considers which projects should receive local input points as part of the state’s process for evaluating projects for potential future transportation funding.
A different Tunnel Road
The proposed Tunnel Road road diet would cover the stretch of U.S. 70 between the Beaucatcher Tunnel and U.S. 74A, or South Tunnel Road.
The project is more than simply reducing the number of lanes, according to the MPO. Plans call for roadway realignments and intersection improvements intended to improve safety, traffic operations and connections along the corridor.
A road diet generally involves changing how existing roadway space is used. That can include reducing or narrowing travel lanes and using some of the space for pedestrian and bicycle facilities, turn lanes or other improvements.
The MPO says the Tunnel Road project could improve pedestrian safety and comfort, create better accommodations for cyclists, improve key intersections and reduce opportunities for conflicts and crashes.
The project is identified in NCDOT’s Prioritization 8.0 materials as SPOT ID H230105, with a proposed cost of about $58.3 million.
But the project is still in the planning and development stage. The MPO’s decision to seek local input points does not mean construction funding has been awarded or that construction is scheduled.
Could passenger trains return?
The second project is broader — and potentially much farther away.
The Western North Carolina Passenger Rail project would upgrade the existing rail corridor between Asheville and Salisbury to support future intercity passenger service.
From Salisbury, riders could connect with North Carolina’s passenger rail network and travel toward Charlotte, the Triad, the Triangle and other destinations.
The idea isn’t new.
NCDOT completed an updated feasibility study in 2023 examining the possibility of restoring passenger service between Asheville and Salisbury. The project has since advanced into the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development Program, which is designed to help develop new or expanded intercity passenger rail corridors.
NCDOT also has studied the potential economic impact of restoring passenger rail service in Western North Carolina.
But the project remains in the planning and funding process. NCDOT says it is not funded and there is no timeline for when passenger service could begin.
The MPO is proposing to award the passenger rail project the maximum number of Regional Impact Local Input Points available to the region as part of the current prioritization process.
The local input points are part of the state’s process for evaluating projects for potential future transportation funding.
Passenger rail could give Western North Carolina another transportation option, provide another connection to communities across the state and offer an alternative to driving, including on Interstate 40.
What’s next?
The MPO is asking residents to weigh in on the projects and other regional transportation priorities being considered through Prioritization 8.0.
Comments can be submitted through Aug. 19 by emailing mpo@landofsky.org.
The local input points are one piece of North Carolina’s larger transportation funding process. Projects still must compete for funding before they can move into construction.