Vote to speed up I-240 widening deserves praise

The group of local government officials who, on May 24, voted to tentatively back the idea of speeding up work on Interstate 240 in West Asheville, deserves a round of high-fives.

The group will vote on June 28 and a “yes” from the majority  would result in the addition of two lanes to the now-four-lane road. Better yet, the construction to add the two lanes to the existing higway would begin as early as 2020.

The section of I-240 under discussion on May 24 runs between the I-26/I-40/I/240 interchange and a point between Haywood Road and Patton Avenue in West Asheville.

Otherwise, as one unnamed state Department of Transportation official noted, work would probably not begin until 2017 — or later.

Money to construct the other two major components of the I-26 Connector is already in place in DOT plans. One is construction of a new bridge over the French Broad River, north of the Bowen Bridge. The other is rebuilding the I-26/I-40/I-240 interchange, located a bit west of the WNC Farmers Market. A construction contract is scheduled to be awarded in 2020.

We urge leaders to unite to take a much-needed step forward with I-240.