A section of Old U.S. 70 between Riverwood Road in Swannanoa and Blue Ridge Road in Black Mountain has been identified by the French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization (FBRMPO) as one of our region’s top 5 bicycle projects. If approved, the project would involve paving a shoulder along that section of narrow and very dangerous roadway.
Making the FBRMPO’s “top 5” list means that this project will be considered for funding in the State Transportation Improvement Program (“STIP”), which is administered by the NC Dept. of Transportation. Funding is not guaranteed, and unfortunately the timeframe for completing the STIP projects would be fairly far out (2018 – 2022). However, having such a high priority ranking makes it more likely that this project would be considered for funding through other state and federal sources, perhaps on a shorter timeline.
Stay tuned for further updates as more information becomes available . . . .