The  “ongoing saga” of Asheville’s I-26 Connector was presented by David Brown, a board member of the North Carolina Department of Transportation, to the Council of Independent Business Owners on June 3 at Chick-fil-A restaurant in North Asheville.

More than 50 people attended the early-morning breakfast meeting.

“It’s good to be here to discuss the ongoing saga of the I-26 Connector project,” Brown began, triggering chuckles from some CIBO members.

Since 1989, Asheville’s I-26 Connector project has been under discussion, Brown noted.

The A section — from west of Brevard Road to Haywood Road to the storage buildings on I-240 — “would have no alternatives because it’d just be widening,” the DOT official noted.

The B section, as envisioned in 1989, was to start at Westgate in West Asheville — and reconnect near the UNC Asheville exit for Broadway Street in North Asheville. 

However, “the B section had four alternatives, as did the C section,” Brown said. “So they met and came to the consensus that the B section would be ‘B4’ — and the C section would be ‘C4.’” (The sections are more commonly referred to — at least around Asheville — as “4B” and “4C.”)

Throughout the I-26 Connector saga, “the B4 section has been controversial,” he said.

“That (Bowen) bridge (included in B4) has about 100,000 cars a day on it. It has an accident rate that is way off the charts.”

While “4B also had less impact on streams and wetlands … less impact on Burton Street community,” among its “deficits was more impact on business relocations and noise for Montford area.”

He added, “The DOT is in the process of updating its traffic models,” since 4B recently was chosen as the route. The models “should be ready by July 1.”

“Whether we build six or eight lanes at this point, the right of way will be the same, Brown said, adding that “4B was $100 million more (in cost) than 3C was.”

Further, he asserted, “At DOT, we have about 50 cents for every dollar we need ... Right now, the C section is the only one totally funded.” The cost will be $221 million for B section, meaning another $100 million is needed. “As times goes on, as we add money to this, we should have this fully funded,” he said.

For the next steps for the I-26 Connector project, “we need the final environmental study from federal government,” Brown said.

After the I-26 Connector is completed, CIBO member Mac Swicegood asked, “Who will be responsible for Bowen Bridge?”

“The state would still be responsible,” Brown replied. “It’s still a state highway.”