Description

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is proposing to improve the US 64 corridor in the area of Asheboro, Randolph County. As part of this action, the NCDOT also will improve access to the North Carolina Zoological Park (NC Zoo). The project is listed in the NCDOT‘s Draft 2011-2020 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) as Project R-2536.

The Preferred Alternative 29 improvements include a bypass on the south side of Asheboro, with a new road connecting to the NC Zoo. The new bypass will be a four-lane, controlled-access (no driveways) highway and is 13.7 miles in length. The opposite directions of travel will be separated by a grassy/landscaped median about 70 feet wide. The new road to the NC Zoo (the NC Zoo Connector) will be a two-lane controlled-access highway with design characteristics similar to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Total right-of-way width along the new bypass will average about 300 feet, with additional right of way needed at interchange locations to account for the ramps. Interchanges are included at both ends of the project on US 64, and at NC 49, I-73/74 (US 220 Bypass), the new NC Zoo Connector, NC 159, and NC 42. Design of the NC 49 interchange was recently modified to provide for free-flow ramps with no stop signs or traffic signals.

Study Process

The proposed improvements to the US 64 corridor will involve state and federal funds. Any agency that proposes a project involving federal funds must comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Under the NEPA, an agency must study the adverse and beneficial environmental impacts of alternatives that meet a project’s purpose and need and identify the Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative (LEDPA). This planning process can be divided into eight steps described in detail below. Steps 1 through 8 are complete.

• Full Study Process

News and Updates

Newsletters

• Issue 6: April 2007 | Abril del 2007 (Espanol)

Public Study Completed on Alternative 29

The North Carolina Department of Transportation completed preparation of the Public Study for the US 64 Asheboro Bypass. The ROD was approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FEIS) was approved in March 2007. The FEIS and ROD were prepared along the Preferred Alternative 29 corridor. Design studies to minimize impacts and design revisions to update the preliminary design of Alternative 29 to meet current NCDOT design criteria are complete.

The Design Public Hearing was held on March 11, 2008. Comments received about the design of the Asheboro Bypass from the hearing will be reviewed and incorporated, where feasible, into the development of final design plans for the project. The next phase of the project is the purchasing of right of way, or the right of way acquisition phase.

Purchasing right of way for the B section will begin in 2013. Construction for the B section will begin in 2015.

Project Overview and Purpose

The purpose of the project is to improve access around the City of Asheboro and to the North Carolina Zoo, relieve traffic congestion on existing US 64 in Asheboro, and enhance high-speed regional travel along the US 64 intrastate corridor. The project is needed to address the following existing and anticipated conditions:

• Existing and future traffic congestion along US 64 cause significant travel delays, increase the potential for accidents, and contribute substantially to the inefficient operation of motor vehicles.
• Accident rates along existing US 64 in the Asheboro area are currently above the statewide average accident rates for similar roadways in North Carolina.
• Existing and projected traffic and land use conditions along existing US 64 through Asheboro diminish the route’s ability to function as an intrastate corridor.
• Congestion and backups occur on NC 159 (Zoo Parkway) due to local traffic mixing with traffic destined for the NC Zoo. Delays are experienced by zoo visitors, and zoo-related congestion makes it difficult for residents along NC 159 (Zoo Parkway) to access their homes.
• The project is essential to NCDOT‘s plan to upgrade the US 64 and NC 49 corridors from Statesville to Raleigh (US 64) and from Charlotte to Raleigh (NC 49 and US 64).

Contact Information

Resources for Local Property Owners

In many cases, it is inevitable that a certain amount of private property must be acquired. The displacement of homes and businesses is minimized to the extent practicable. The following brochures will answer questions about this process.