ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Walking along some of Asheville’s busiest roads could get a little easier if several proposed transportation projects move forward.
New sidewalks along Patton Avenue and Smokey Park Highway, along with a greenway connection near the WNC Farmers’ Market, are among the projects being considered through North Carolina’s transportation prioritization process.
The projects are still in the early stages, and there’s no guarantee they’ll receive funding. But the French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization is asking residents to weigh in on improvements that could make walking and biking around Asheville safer and more convenient.
Filling sidewalk gaps along Patton Avenue
One proposal would add sidewalks along Patton Avenue between the western end of Old Haywood Road and Johnston Boulevard.
The goal is to fill gaps in the existing sidewalk network, giving pedestrians a more continuous route along the busy corridor.
The improvements also could make it easier for people to reach nearby streets, businesses and other destinations without having to walk along stretches of road without sidewalks.
A sidewalk along Smokey Park Highway
Another proposal focuses on Smokey Park Highway, where a new sidewalk would be built between Rutherford Road and N.C. 151.
The project would give pedestrians a dedicated sidewalk rather than leaving them to walk along the roadside.
According to the MPO, the sidewalk also would improve connections between nearby neighborhoods and destinations and make the corridor more accessible to people of different ages and abilities.
Connecting Asheville’s greenways
A third proposal would expand the area’s growing greenway network.
The proposed Bent Creek Greenway project, identified as the Hominy Creek/WNC Farmers’ Market segment, would create a multiuse path connecting the French Broad River Greenway with the Hominy Creek Greenway.
The connection would give walkers and cyclists another off-road route and make it easier to travel between existing greenways.
It also could provide more opportunities for recreation and transportation without relying on a car.
What’s next for the projects?
All three proposals are being considered through North Carolina’s P8.0 transportation prioritization process, an early step in determining which transportation projects could eventually receive funding.
That doesn’t mean construction is around the corner.
Cost estimates and potential construction timelines were not included in the MPO’s Facebook posts.
For now, transportation planners want to hear what residents think.
Anyone interested in commenting on the proposed improvements or other regional transportation priorities can email the French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization at mpo@landofsky.org.