An alternative design for Interstate 26 across the French Broad River proposed by a group of local architects has been termed flawed by the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Representatives of the DOT told Asheville City Council on June 26 that the plan has too many engineering flaws and should not be pursued.

The plan, which had been presented by local members of the American Institute of Architects, was reportedly drawn from public input and was meant to serve as an alternative to four DOT plans for the highway.

It had initially received support from some of the Buncome County Commissioners and state lawmakers, as well as tentative interest from N.C. Secretary of Transportation Lyndo Tippett.

Five of the seven members of council were present for the meeting, but they were divided on whether to accept the DOTís assessment and reject the plan or to press on.

Among the objections raised by the DOT were that the double-decker bridge and compact footprint presented by the architects were too tight and that roadways would encroach on River Road and Riverside Cemetery.

However, Alan McGuinn, chairman of AIAís Asheville Design Center, said that the problems could be remedied with some engineering help.

The plan, he argued, would actually reduce noise in Montford by using a bridge lower than one proposed under the DOT plans.

Councilmen Brownie Newman and Bryan Freeborn said that the city, and possibly Buncombe County, should hire engineers to see if the architectsí plan would work.

Mayor Terry Bellamy and Councilman Jan Davis disagreed, saying that a further study would only delay the project, which is currently scheduled to be built in 2012.

Meanwhile, Councilman Carl Mumpower said the city should defer to the expertise of the DOT.

The price of the projects is still being debated as well. The architects have said their plan would cost about $150 million, as opposed to the state plans, which they said would range between $208 million and $372 million.

However, the DOT officials told council that the architectsí plan would cost about $206 million and that their plans would range between $144 million and $313 million.