The Corridor K Gazette

NC DOT recently released a Draft Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement (DSF EIS) that proposes a specific design and route for a four-lane highway between Stecoah and Robbinsville. Comments on this DSF EIS are due by Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008! We have included some talking points below.

Mail or email comments to:
Gregory J. Thorpe, PhD, Environmental Management Director
Project Development and Environmental Analysis Branch
NC Department of Transportation
1548 MailServiceCenter
Raleigh, NC27699-1548

soberhausen@ncdot.gov

Background:

A costly, destructive, unnecessary four lane road is on the fast track to completion in rural, mountainous western North Carolina. The four lanes being studied would cut through some of the most difficult and scenic mountain landscapes in Western North Carolina, establishing a new route through the Stecoah Valley and across Cheoah Mountain.

Rather than propose a highway design that will serve the needs of the 21st century and safeguard the mountain values of Western North Carolina, which are home to generations of area residents and bring others for recreation and renewal, the DOT is proposing a four-lane highway that will cut across the mountains and valleys, devastating these irreplaceable resources.

The financial cost of this project cannot be justified in light of its meager transportation benefit. With a total projected cost to taxpayers of $378 million, $38 million per mile, the financial burden of this unnecessary four-lane road cannot be justified. With economic development being the focus of the Appalachian Regional Commission and Corridor K, this four lane road is not the best way to invest in what amounts to $42,000 per Graham County citizen on economic development.

If you are concerned about the integrity of the southern Appalachians-the land, the people, and irresponsible use of taxpayer dollars then take action.

For more background on Corridor K visit:
http://www.stopi3.org/corridor_k.html
http://www.stopi3.org/commonsense.htm

Impacts to local communities:
The Department of Transportation projects that the road will trigger a surge in the population of Graham County of 26 percent by the year 2030 if the proposed segment from Stecoah to Robbinsville is completed. In addition, it will cause an explosive 79 percent population increase in Graham County if the road is completed all the way to Andrews. Yet the EIS offers no analysis of the implications of this growth to the environment, to the infrastructure of Graham County, or to the quality of life of people and communities in Graham County.

Viewsheds:
Pristine mountain vistas would be spoiled by the proposed route. Large cut and fill banks and cut rock faces would be visible from the Appalachian Trail and other areas in the Nantahala National Forest and surrounding areas, including the Cheoah Bald Roadless Area

Water Quality:
Deep cuts and fills, along with a 2,870-foot tunnel would impact the hydrology and drainage of the area. Potential acid bearing rock along the highway corridor could have long range and long lasting implications to stream health and drainage. Impacts to clear streams and water quality are unacceptable in the one proposed route in the DSFEIS. Trout streams and drinking water supplies would be damaged and mountain streams could be destroyed.

Noise Pollution:
Noise generated by the proposed route would impact the Appalachian Trail and other national forest lands that are important for recreation.

Wildlife:
The highway, as proposed, would impact numerous mature forest communities, impacting wildlife habitat and potentially impacting numerous rare species.

What we recommend:

DOT should consider other alternative routes that would address transportation needs while safeguarding the streams, scenic vistas, and wildlife habitat in this irreplaceable mountain landscape. In particular, upgrading highways 28 & 143 along the current route should be evaluated and considered as a viable alternative.  The current route could be retained and enhanced to address current limitations while minimizing additional environmental impacts by routing along the existing highway footprint.  Retaining and enhancing the current scenic highway and integrating it into a network of scenic highways around Robbinsville should be considered an alernative to developing a four-lane behemoth designed in and for the last century.  We need an alternative that is sensitive to the unique and priceless area it will travel through.   A careful reading of the DSFEIS reveals that the proposed route would only marginally benefit travel times; during certain times and situations the proposed route may actually take longer to travel than existing routes. The existing route also will handle projected traffic for decades to come. Furthermore, DOT has not evaluated the added capacity that sensible upgrades, such as redesigning intersections, could deliver at a cost significantly less than the $378 million the recommended four-lane is projected to cost.

It is time for responsible transportation that provides for transportation needs while safeguarding our environment and natural communities. It is past time for the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the Departments of Transportation in the region to re-evaluate the old transportation plans developed in the 1960s. New plans should be developed to address the needs, constraints, and opportunities of the 21^st century. It is folly to ignore the changing dynamics of fossil fuel prices and availability. It is wasteful to ignore the role alternative transportation, including rail, can play in addressing many transportation needs such as freight transportation. It is foolish to minimize the many environmental impacts of roads that have been documented during the past several decades. It is an insult to the Appalachian region to refuse to acknowledge and incorporate the lessons learned over the past 45 years as the ARC highway corridors have been completed. The promised economic development the roads were intended to deliver have remained largely unfulfilled, bringing instead uncontrolled sprawl, destruction of small communities, degradation of streams and viewsheds and destruction of wildlife habitat.

The information below was developed by the Stop I-3 Coalition.  We’d like to know what you think about this position paper.  Please feel free to offer your comments below.

Corridor K and Common Sense

US Route 64 through the Ocoee Gorge in Tennessee and US 74 through the Nantahala Gorge in North Carolina have provided an alternate route from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Asheville, NC for many years. It has been considered a scenic route that allows intimate and beautiful views of the Ocoee and Nantahala Rivers and of the wilderness and natural areas enveloping this splendidly unique area of the South. With increasing population in the area, it deserves improvement. We support that effort.

What is not responsible is to endorse the proposal to build an intrusive four-lane highway commonly referred to as “Corridor K” through the area. Corridor K would require destructive road building through two highly valued National Forests: the Cherokee National Forest and the Nantahala National Forest. These forests are critical to wildlife and plant habitat and to good water quality. In addition the road construction would destroy picturesque mountain communities as well as significant historic and cultural sites and the mountain views that draw many people to visit these areas in the first place. The construction of such a road is inconsistent with common sense.

1. Conceived 44 years ago by the Appalachian Regional Commission, the concept of building a four lane corridor through this area of Appalachia to facilitate commerce among key southeastern cities and ports has since been rendered obsolete by the completion of the Eisenhower Interstate System. Efficient transportation is readily accomplished between Chattanooga and Asheville via I-40, to Atlanta by I-75, and to eastern port cities via I-20 and I-16 with no appreciable difference in time based on this proposed roadway.

2. This road corridor would be massively destructive to the valuable natural and historic assets of the region. Currently these assets generate millions of dollars in annual recreational revenue to the mountainous region. Important recreation resources including the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, the Benton MacKaye Trail, numerous trout streams and thousands of acres of hunting habitat would be directly impacted. The surrounding forests are delicately-balanced sanctuaries for threatened plant and animal species which would also be impacted by such an environmentally devastating roadway.

3. The U.S. road transportation system has been based on cheap oil. Continuously soaring fuel prices and a diminished tax base have already resulted in a decline in trucking, while the benefits of railway traffic, already in place, are increasing substantially.

4. Early construction cost estimates for the Tennessee section of Corridor K approach $2 billion with the State of Tennessee responsible for up to $500 million. Completing the North Carolina sections is likely to be equally costly. With budget constraints impacting both the Tennessee and North Carolina Departments of Transportation, and with the pressing need for existing infrastructure repair and maintenance, it is difficult to justify the priority of completing an unnecessary and destructive highway that should have been reevaluated decades ago.

The proposal to build an intrusive, environmentally destructive, four-lane road through the rugged terrain and forests of the pristine mountain refuge of Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee would be a major departure from common sense. It would be a disgraceful waste of taxpayers’ dollars during a historic period of economic decline. Existing alternative roadways and railways offer excellent routing for both domestic and commercial transportation. The proposed four-lane roadway would be highly destructive to the valuable corridor through which it would intrude.

Contact: Holly Demuth, Exec. Director – Stop I-3 Coalition; holly@stopi-3.org; 706.508.3711

A Quick Look at Corridor K
In 1965 the Appalachian Regional Commission mandated the improvement of economic conditions in Appalachia. This plan included development of a system of highways to open up the region. But now, 44 years later, some of the discussed changes to the highway system raise grave concerns among individuals and organizations concerned about the natural environment, the cultural landscape, and the well being of the communities directly impacted.

Today eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina are perhaps best known for their natural beauty, including the public treasures of the Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests. These precious public lands receive millions of visitors annually. They are beloved by American citizens from across all of the United States. The people who live in this paradise, along with visiting hikers, rafters, hunters, and campers who contribute to the local economy, are well aware of the unique assets of the region.

Certain proposals to improve Corridor K seem irrational considering their lack of need and immense potential environmental destruction. They would destroy a precious American treasure, replacing pristine wilderness with newly constructed bridges, asphalt, and concrete, while creating a perpetual legacy of air, water, and noise pollution with toxic vehicle emissions and wastes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is Corridor K?

A: Corridor K is a road being proposed for upgrade that cuts through the mountains of southeastern Tennessee and southwestern North Carolina connecting Chattanooga to Asheville, via the Ocoee Gorge in Tennessee and Cheoah Mountains in North Carolina.

Q: What is the concern about Corridor K?

A: There are a variety of serious concerns regarding potential highway designs and routes in the Southern Appalachians, including impacts to cultural, historical, and ecological resources.
Corridor K has never been studied as a whole, since the idea was developed in the 1960’s. The needs and impacts of a corridor intended to improve economic development in a region that spans across state lines needs to be studied as an entire corridor, across state lines, as opposed to the current process of segment by segment. It also needs to be studied in the context of the current road system. In 1964 there were no interstate highways from Chattanooga to Knoxville and Asheville, or from Chattanooga to Atlanta and Greenville, or from Atlanta to I-95. But today, there is a robust system of highways connecting all these communities.
In North Carolina, the 4-lane road being studied by the Draft Environmental Impact Statement due out in July would destroy the idyllic beauty of the Stecoah Valley. It would heavily impact views from the Appalachian Trail and Cheoah Bald Roadless Area, not to mention the noise pollution to the area. There are likely rare species in the area as well as historical sites that could be damaged.
Only two of the three segments in North Carolina are being studied, leaving the most technically challenging and expensive portion unexamined. A previous study recommended extensive tunneling with 7% grades leading up to either side of the tunnels—hardly fit for the commercial traffic the road is intended to attract. Fragmenting the road does not create an improved road system. It would potentially dump traffic in the area that the ignored two lane portion could not handle.
A pyritic shale formation which releases heavy metals and sulfuric acid when exposed to weathering is encountered frequently throughout the mountains in western North Carolina and in southeast Tennessee This formation has the potential to seriously degrade water quality, as occurred in McNabb Creek and a number of other streams after construction for the Cherohala Skyway (Tellico to Robbinsville Road) completed in 1996. One proposed route being considered along Kimsey Highway in Tennessee would also unnecessarily degrade U.S. Forest Service Wilderness areas by impairing the view and introducing noise and light pollution from the road traffic.

The Southern Appalachians contain some of the most biologically rich forests on Earth. Much of the area where new road construction is planned contains plants and animals considered to be globally significant. The 2003 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) developed for the Tennessee portion of Corridor K indicated 35 rare species “having moderate to very high potential to be affected” by this project.

The Cherokee National Forest that borders the Ocoee Gorge in Tennessee and is part of the Southern Blue Ridge Important Bird Area (IBA) 1) is home to significant populations of migratory songbirds. Many of these species are extremely sensitive to the type of forest fragmentation that would result from new road construction. 2) Construction of a new roadway through the Cherokee National Forest will likely have a severe detrimental impact on the large black bear population in this area, especially from road mortality. 3) The introduction of invasive plants into a healthy, established ecosystem is another serious concern. Roads and their associated disturbances serve as vectors for non-native species like Kudzu, Tree-of-Heaven, Mimosa, Princesstree (Paulownia), and many more which displace native species, diminishing the unique biological diversity of southeast forests.

Q: Who wants this road?

A: Commercial interests assert the road is necessary for safe and rapid truck transport and that it would promote business growth bringing prosperity to economically depressed communities. Economic globalization is being used as the major reason why road development is necessary. An economic study performed by Wilbur Smith Associates concluded that development of Corridor K would allow for better access to eastern seaports of Norfolk, Virginia, Wilmington, North Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina. This would presumably allow for Southern Appalachian communities to compete in the global marketplace.

It is undeniable that the Wilber Smith study exhibits bias towards the business community. Among the well-over-200 members of the Steering, Advisory and Stakeholder members, not a single environmental representative is listed.
The complete report is available at http://www.seida.info/www/docs/208.230.

The Appalachian Regional Commission was created nearly a half century ago to help bring low income up to the national average. Since then, thousand of miles of highways have been built or expanded, but the region still has lower-than average income. Another highway is not an answer.

Q. What is the connection between Corridor K and Interstate 3?

A: While the impetus for the two roads seems to come from independent sources, the goals for the two roads and alignments are the same. Economic globalization, access to seaports, enhancing prosperity in the mountains—these are all clearly stated goals for both roads.

Interstate 3 is a road proposed to run from Savannah, Georgia to Knoxville, TN, via Augusta, Georgia. No specific alignments for this road have been set. Corridor K lies directly in the path of the most technically challenging, environmentally sensitive, and exorbitantly expensive portions of the Interstate. For maps of potential Interstate 3 routes, http://www.stopi3.org/maps/index.html.

Completed 4-lane portions of Corridor K would literally pave the way for Interstate 3.

Q. Would it really improve safety and create prosperity for the affected areas?

A: When Corridor K was originally proposed in the 1960s, there was not a good way to get around the Nantahala Gorge in North Carolina. Now there are viable alternatives. It is not clear that this expensive, environmentally destructive road is really needed at all in North Carolina.
The present rock-walled Ocoee Gorge route (U.S. 64) is difficult for trucks to navigate and has a higher (but less injurious) accident rate than similar roads elsewhere.4 Slight modifications to the current road alignments, instead of radical changes to the size and routing of the road, could greatly enhance the safety of the road, without severely impacting the surrounding wilderness and neighboring pristine Hiwassee watershed.
This highway project is being sold to the public based upon the unfulfilled promise of prosperity offered by economic globalization. Losses in the manufacturing industry have been caused by foreign competition, not local transportation disparities. Clothing labels bear far more manufacturing marks from China than from U.S. port cities. Chinese roadways are not noted for transportation efficiency, and American communities along the currently completed sections of Corridor K have not noted substantial improvements in commerce traceable to the improved roadway.
Initiating a multi-billion dollar public works project on the basis of unproven economic theory, globalization, is wildly speculative.

Q. Can’t current U.S. 64 in the Ocoee Gorge simply be widened?

A: The steep terrain is daunting and some Corridor K proponents say that no more rock can be cleared. However U.S. 64 was cut successfully decades ago in that same terrain. A parallel cut just north of the existing road, as is done with many mountain highways, has been suggested. But the answer could be even simpler.
In 2004 the Tennessee DOT and state legislators recommended simply straightening several curves in the 16-mile stretch of U.S. 64 at a cost of roughly $19 million. That project was stalled by long-term discussions between the state and the U.S. Forest Service regarding road-shoulder widths. Eventually a public release by the Tennessee DOT reported that all improvements that could be done have been done. Some straightening of present U.S. 64 should be reconsidered.

Q. With the beginning and end of the roadway having been completed for years, and hundreds of millions of federal dollars already set aside for the last stretch, isn’t the momentum impossible to stop?

A: No. In North Carolina, public comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be taken during the summer and fall of 2008. In Tennessee, resource committees with environmental representation are being formed as part of the Transportation Planning Report and Environmental Impact Statement. As the two processes advance, organizations and individuals can learn more about how to make comments and be involved in the process in additional ways at www.stopi-3.org.

Q. How can I help advocated for a Corridor K that benefits the unique character of this region’s communities and land?

A: Contact your elected officials. Governors, federal and state congressional delegations, county commissioners, Rural Planning Organizations, and Department of Transportation board members all play vital roles in the future of this road. Participate in the DOT public input processes. And as with other special interest pork-barrel projects, expose them to the public through editorial letters to your newspapers.

For more information on how you can help advocate for a Corridor K that benefits the unique character of this southern Appalachian region, contact the Stop I-3 Coalition at info@stopi-3.org, 706.508.3711. The Stop I-3 Coalition works to preserve and protect the unique heritage and environment of Southern Appalachia and nearby Piedmont communities by promoting sustainable transportation practices