From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE — A detailed report on the status of the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s planned I-26 Connector through Asheville was presented by Nathan Moneyham, an NCDOT construction engineer, during an early-morning breakfast meeting of the Asheville-based Council of Business Owners on March 14 in UNC Asheville’s Sherrill Center.

Moneyham’s report followed a presentation by Eric Cregger, Buncombe County’s interim tax assessor. (See story to the left for details on Cregger’s program.) 

About 75 people attended the CIBO meeting.

A pre-meeting CIBO agenda stated that Moneyham, in his presentation, would address the following questions, among many:

• “What’s the new design for the I-26 connector?”  

• “What area roads are on the schedule for upgrades?” 

• “What is the status of the I-40 repair?”  

• “Is there funding available for all the projects?”

After being introduced to the gathering by CIBO meeting moderator Steve Foster, Moneyham, speaking technically, said he first would address the “I2513 B/D (North Section) project status report,” noting that he was talking about “design build procurement 101.”

His reference was to the planned I-26 Connector through Asheville on which preliminary work began in January 2023.

Moneyham added that “procurement did not begin until 2024, when we had a bid opening... As you’ll recall, all of the bids far exceeded our budget...

“We then proceeded to the best and final offer process. We basically re-let the project. We knew to do that, we needed to make some changes...

“After the March (2024) bid opening, we gave the teams extra time, and in May 2024 we got best and final bids. Archer-Wright Joint Ventures submitted the winning bid... AWJV was about $200 million less than the next lowest bidder... This project originally was funded for $850 million.”

As for revisions of the I-26 Connector project, Moneyham said, “The most notable change was a long-standing, local desire for I-26 to pass under Patton Avenue, as reflected in preliminary designs.” 

Instead, in an effort to make the project affordable, the engineers did a redesign for I-26 to pass “over Patton Avenue,” he noted.

He added, “We still had to reduce that (total) cost significantly if we were to move ahead with this project.

“With all those things in mind, we embarked on the project (of cost-cutting) in June 2024” to include the following:

• All FEIS and ROD commitments

• Maintained separation of I-26 and Patton Avenue traffic

• Maintain pedestrian and bicyclist connections

Moneyham noted that in January 2025, “we completed the O&R process.” (“The ‘O&R process’ refers to the Optimization and Refinement process used in design-build projects, where a design-build team and the client — like NCDOT — work together after initial selection to refine the project scope and reduce costs,” according to AI Overview.) 

Following the O&R process, “overall savings were $125 million,” Moneyham noted. “So we added additional funding and then we saved about $125 million.. The (I-26 Connector) project (through Asheville) is expected to be completed in 2031, which is on its schedule.”

Speaking more generally, the NCDOT construction engineer said, “For the region, it was really important to move forward” with the I-26 Connector.

He listed the following as other cuts to the project that have made it affordable:

• Five bridges were reduced to four across the French Broad River at I-26 East to Patton Avenue.

• The original proposal had three lanes on I-26 East, from Broadway Street to Patton Avenue — “and we were able to do that with the I-26 and Patton Avenue splits.”

What’s more, Moneyham said that “in the other big changes to the project… a lot changed on the east side of the river,” including the following:

• The removal of the proposed interchange

• Ther is no I-240 to Patton Avenue connection

• Hill Street impacts were reduced

• A shift of the Hillcrest connector bridge

Moneyham said “the big benefit to this” is it eliminates non-critical parts of the project ,while “it maintains connections.” 

He concluded by listing the following project dates:

• Right-of-way acquisition — fall 2025

• Utlilities relocation — spring 2026

• Construction to begin in fall 2026

During a brief question-and-answer session that followed, an unidentified man said, “I’d like to congratulate you, Nathan, on all of this good work... I would like to know about the redesign across the Bowen Bridge.”

Moneyham replied, “All of that is there”

Meeting attendee H.K. Edgerton then told the CIBO crowd, “I disagree with everything he (Moneyham) just said... A lot people sold their properties to the state for a lot less than it was worth...”

Moneyham said Edgerton was referring to something that happened many years ago and “I’m telling you we’ve got secure funding — and it’s going forward.”

Edgerton responded glumly, “We’ve heard it all before!”

Later, an unidentified man asked, “Are we looking at 2031, driving down the road” of the Asheville I-26 Connector?

With a smile, Moneyham replied, “That’s our goal!”