Among the many topics that draw continued interest — and ire — from you good readers, the I-26 widening project has to be right at the top of the list.

No, not the I-26 Connector project, which we will get to complain about for roughly the next decade. I’m talking about the widening of I-26 through Buncombe and Henderson counties, the $534 million project that started in October 2019.

Initially, it was to be completed in 2024, but that date got pushed back to this year. Then next year. 

And now?

“Our revised contract completion date for I-26 widening in Buncombe — which includes Exit 35 — is July 1, 2027,” David Uchiyama, spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Transportation in western North Carolina, said via email.

You read that right — two more years of harrowing passes through Jersey barriers, slamming on the brakes because the pickup in front of you didn’t notice the line of cars in front of him coming to a standstill, and serious concrete envy when you drive I-26 in Henderson County, which is a glorious four lanes on each side in places.

Most times I go to Asheville, I take I-26. It’s gotten so I give myself about 40 minutes for what once was a 20-minute trip, mainly because I just don’t know what I’m going to get. 

Best-case scenario is a sluggish slog through the Long Shoals area and up the mountain to the Blue Ridge Parkway, as the tractor-trailers refuse to move over and they slow everything down. Worst-case scenario is a wreck, for which I can plan on settling in for a good 50 minutes or so.

Clearly, this road project makes me a little grumpy, but I can assure you I’m not the only one. I routinely hear from readers who might even outdo me on the grump-ometer. Most recently, an octogenarian wrote to express his displeasure:

“If the pace of building the Connector takes as long as building out I-26 at the Outlet Mall to below the airport and beyond toward Hendersonville, it almost certainly will not be completed in our lifetimes, and I’m 82 years old. Could you please determine why this project is still not complete? It seems like an interminable length of time exacerbated by the many days one passes through the area and sees lots of machinery not in use nor any work going on at all. It seems to me that magnificent roads in Western Europe get done a lot faster, and certainly in China where significant projects get done three times faster than here with work ongoing 24 hours a day. You want to get things done, then China’s approach may be worth our consideration. Or, are we too soft?”

I chuckled. To be fair, China is a communist country that builds apartment buildings and roads that folks don’t even use, and if you’re a worker there, they might suggest your life could be a lot shorter if you don’t put in all that overtime.

To be fair to the NCDOT and its contractor, the new exit for the Pratt & Whitney plant got added in well after the I-26 widening had begun. 

“The addition of Exit 35 — an economic development project in addition to a project that will relieve congestion and increase safety — created (the) completion dates,” Uchiyama said.

Back in March, when another reader had asked about delays, Luke Middleton, resident engineer with the NCDOT’s Asheville office, said, “The addition of a new interchange, Exit 35, after the project was more than halfway completed extended the timeframe needed to complete the north section.

“The south end of the project did not have these obstacles,” Middleton said then. The new exit was announced in early 2022.

Middleton noted that Exit 35 will include an additional bridge and multiple retaining walls, “which increased the overall project timeline by almost two years.”

This month, I asked if the contractor was facing any penalties because of the extended time frame.

“Damages will not be charged unless the contractor is unable to complete the work by the newly established contract date,” Uchiyama said. “If work goes past that date a multitude of items will be considered before damages are charged.”

Those damages could be $5,000 a day. 

While it may appear work is not going on yet with the interchange, that’s a misperception, Uchiyama said.

“The contractor started working on the westbound on and off ramps in March of 2024,” Uchiyama said. “I-26 traffic has been on the other side of the interstate island, which obstructs the view of drivers in the area.”

Over the past month, “earthwork operations have started on the offramp on the eastbound side of I-26, just south of the French Broad River,” Uchiyama added. He also noted that the interchange bridge will be a little less than one mile south of the French Broad River bridge and about halfway between the French Broad River and the Blue Ridge Parkway.  

New Blue Ridge Parkway bridge building has been slow

Another factor in the widening slowness is the construction of a new Blue Ridge Parkway bridge, which Middleton acknowledged in March “has taken longer than anticipated, which has resulted in a delay to remove the existing structure. Removal of the existing structure is key to getting traffic in its final pattern.”

Uchiyama said the removal of the old bridge is coming up this summer.

“We anticipate switching traffic from the old bridge to the new bridge and new alignment on the Blue Ridge Parkway late this summer,” Uchiyama said. “Once traffic has been moved to the new alignment, the contractor will begin taking down the existing bridge.”

I wrote about the parkway bridge last August, noting that it was supposed to be finished between Halloween and Thanksgiving. The $14.5 million bridge is 605 feet long, 36 feet wide and will provide two lanes of travel over I-26.

It’s also right in the area where I-26 traffic gets bottlenecked pretty much every day, especially traveling west (which is really more northward through this area, but let’s not split hairs). Coming from Airport Road, you’re driving on three lanes of concrete, which narrow down to two at Long Shoals.

Add in a fairly steep hill leading up to the Parkway bridge, and it’s a guaranteed bottleneck. I asked Uchiyama what causes this.

“Congestion issues existed for years prior to construction,” he said. “The opening of new lanes, wider shoulders and faster speeds approaching this area, and the opening of lanes in the opposite direction exacerbate the perception of current congestion.”

Allow me a moment to note that this is not a “perception of current congestion.” It’s congested through here every day, just about any time of day, and it’s particularly horrid during rush hours. If I’m heading to Asheville during rush hours, or coming home, I opt for another route. 

As far as the bottleneck, Uchiyama said the NCDOT had to narrow four lanes down to two.

“Functionally, NCDOT chose a traffic pattern that trims four lanes down to two while providing drivers with ample time for merging to the appropriate lanes, including the Long Shoals Road offramp,” Uchiyama said.

Part of the problem is this is an area where you get people not paying attention and then slamming on the brakes, or folks hauling arse into the construction zone instead of slowing down, resulting in someone slamming on the brakes, or a rear end collision. It’s unpleasant to say the least, dicey and dangerous to say the most.

Regarding trucks not moving over, don’t look for that to change.

Right now there’s just nowhere to pull over as you head up the mountain, so pulling over trucks is not practical.

“The truck restriction enacted prior to construction has been suspended to increase safety for construction workers, those who would enforce any truck restriction, and those responding to any crashes or breakdowns,” Uchiyama said. “NCDOT and other agencies — including law enforcement — will revisit the necessity of a truck restriction upon completion of the project.”

Some relief in sight

Once you crest the hill and pass under the Parkway bridges, the construction zone is curvy and lined with concrete barriers. You better be on your toes through here, in both directions.

Some relief is coming, though.

“The current configuration is temporary — less than a month remaining,” Uchiyama said. “The contractor anticipates moving traffic to the new westbound alignment from Long Shoals (Exit 37) to Brevard Road (Exit 33) before the July 4th holiday,” Uchiyama said. “This will provide for more shoulder area.”

So that covers the widening project.

But if you really think about all this, the fun is just starting.

 By that, I mean we can now anticipate the $1.1 billion I-26 Connector project kicking off and creating traffic issues for, oh, I don’t know, the next 25 years.

I asked Uchiyama if we can expect these projects — the ongoing widening and the Connector — to overlap.

“On the calendar? Yes. On the ground? No,” Uchiyama said. “Construction has started on the south section of the Connector. The north section is slated to start in the second half of 2026.”

I’m going to classify that as overlapping, at least in my world.

The NCDOT’s official page on the Connector project lists the completion date as October 2031. I’m going to add five years, just to be on the safe side.

Asheville Watchdog welcomes thoughtful reader comments about this story, which has been republished on our Facebook page. Please submit your comments there. 

Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. John Boyle has been covering Asheville and surrounding communities since the 20th century. You can reach him at (828) 337-0941, or via email at jboyle@avlwatchdog.org. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.

Related