Happening Now
In the summer/fall of 2022, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will be re-paving and re-striping portions of US 25, including Merrimon Avenue and Broadway and Biltmore Downtown.
The City of Asheville has been working with NCDOT on re-striping/reconfiguration plans for these streets to identify opportunities to add multimodal facilities. In addition to Merrimon Avenue, where a 4 to 3 lane conversion will be implemented between Midland and W.T. Weaver, a similar reconfiguration is proposed for Biltmore Avenue between Patton Avenue and Hilliard Avenue. The reconfiguration would incorporate dedicated bike lanes in both directions and the removal of one southbound vehicular travel lane. On-street parking and loading spaces would remain.
Ways to Participate
The City is doing outreach to businesses and residents on Biltmore Avenue between Patton Avenue and Hilliard Avenue. The City would like to receive input on the plan and information about any operational needs (i.e. parking, loading, pedestrian and/or bike concerns) that we should consider when finalizing the re-striping plan with NCDOT.
- Email comments or questions to Jessica Morriss, Assistant Transportation Director at jmorriss@ashevillenc.gov
- Sign up to attend a virtual public meeting with City staff on either:
- Tuesday, July 26, 2022 at 9:00 am – email jmorriss@ashevillenc.gov to sign up
- Thursday, July 28, 2022 at 4:00 pm – email jmorriss@ashevillenc.gov to sign up
Pros and Cons of the Project
Pros
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- Residents, downtown employees, and visitors will have another safe, affordable transportation option to access downtown business and services with the added on-street bicycle facility.
- The project will provide a dedicated space for bicyclists and other low speed personal transportation vehicles.
- Adding bicycle/mobility facilities has been shown to reduce parking demand and increase economic development.
- These facilities will enhance the city’s bicycling network by providing connections to the existing bike lane on Hilliard Avenue as well as the planned lanes on College/Patton Avenue downtown.
- The project will not require changes to traffic signals and is not expected to have a significant impact on traffic flow.
- On-street parking and loading spaces will remain, with a net gain of both.
- There will not be changes or impacts to business access or driveways.
- There is no to the City for this project since NCDOT will be repaving and re-striping the street.
Cons
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- The project requires that one southbound vehicular travel lane be removed in this section, which will likely require some readjustment for drivers.
Timeline
- July – Public engagement
- August 2022 – Plan revisions
- Summer/Fall 2022 – Implementation
Supporting Documents
Asheville In Motion Mobility Plan
Proposed Striping Plan Section 1
Proposed Striping Plan Section 2
Contact Information
Jessica Morriss, Assistant Director, Transportation