Filed under: Editorials
An Asheville Citizen Times editorial dated August 28, 2008 takes a stance on Corridor K in North Carolina. Here it is. What’s your opinion? We’d like to know.
Here’s a road that simply shouldn’t get built
A recently released environmental impact statement (EIS) gave a thumbs-up to construction of a section of a project called Corridor K. The section would relocate part of U.S. 74 in Graham County from U.S. 129 in Robbinsville to N.C. 28 in Stecoah.
The statement, released by the N.C. Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration, concludes that environmental damage resulting from building the road can be mitigated.
There’s no realistic way to truly mitigate the environmental impact of cutting a 10-mile stretch of four-lane road through a national forest and some of the most rugged terrain in Western North Carolina, terrain that includes high-quality trout streams, prime bear habitat and part of the Appalachian Trail.
The preferred alternative would cut a 2,870-foot long tunnel at Stecoah Gap and would require major drainage structures at Tallulah Creek, Long Branch, Sweetwater Creek (two crossings), Beech Creek, Stecoah Creek, an unnamed tributary to Stecoah Creek and Dry Creek.
Unjustified need
If the road were truly needed, the inevitable degradation would be easier to justify. But it’s not only unneeded, it would debase the very wild beauty that draws people to Western North Carolina.
In addition to adversely affecting the Nantahala National Forest, the Appalachian Trail, other trails, trout streams and hunting areas used for recreation, it would harm mountain communities, displacing 35 to 44 homes and one or two businesses.
Corridor K was originally proposed several decades ago by the Appalachian Regional Commission to facilitate commerce among key Southeastern cities and ports.
But the interstate system now satisfies the need for efficient transportation to Eastern ports and major cities. Construction of this section of Corridor K would make no appreciable difference in the amount of travel time to those areas.
Construction of this section of Corridor K would make no appreciable difference in the amount of travel time to those areas.
The EIS says the construction of the 10-mile stretch of Corridor K would affect the natural hydraulics of some bodies of water.
“After construction,” it states, “Runoff from the highway would carry hydrocarbon pollutants and, in winter, probably road salt and sand into the receiving streams. Chemical silt runoff tends to be episodic; however, prolonged negative effects may occur to aquatic species inhabiting mountain streams.”
Environmental impacts
It also says a related impact could be the alteration of the groundwater systems near the right-of-way.
“The grading of hillsides has the potential to alter the area’s groundwater hydrology, thereby affecting the well-water supplies of citizens in these coves and valleys.”
The road would have an adverse impact on wildlife other than aquatic species, especially bears, by fragmenting forest communities and habitat.
The 10-mile stretch of Corridor K between Robbinsville and Stecoah is projected to cost $378 million. At a time when North Carolina has a $65 billion shortfall in the amount of money needed to address its transportation needs, building an unnecessary road through an environmentally-sensitive area makes absolutely no sense.
The Statewide Transportation Plan (STP) projects that by 2030 North Carolina will need nearly $124 billion for expansion, modernization and maintenance of its transportation system. Available revenue from current sources will amount to about $59 billion. The STP doesn’t address the $65 billion shortfall.
Money needed elsewhere
Nearly 32,000 of the 78,844 miles (41 percent) of state-maintained highways in North Carolina have significant pavement condition deficiencies, according to the DOT.
Declining safety features and poor pavement conditions cost North Carolina motorists $5.3 billion annually in the form of traffic accidents, additional vehicle operating costs and delays, according to The Road Information Program (TRIP).
TRIP also reports that North Carolina’s traffic fatality rate is 13 percent higher than the national average, due to increasing congestion, primarily in urban areas, and to deteriorating roads.
With daunting needs like that facing the Department of Transportation, construction of an unneeded and environmentally destructive road simply can’t be justified, no matter how much mitigation the plan includes.
