From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE — Eight major transportation corridors in Western North Carolina damaged by Tropical Storm Helene will cost an estimated $2.6 billion to repair. the Asheville Citizen Times reported on May 19.

“Repairs along Interstate 40 are expected to be the costliest –  at an estimated $1 billion,” the ACT noted.

“Other projects include $286 million in repairs near Chimney Rock and Bat Cave and more projects in Henderson, Rutherford, Haywood, Mitchell and Yancey counties.

“Estimates indicate eight major transportation corridor projects in Western North Carolina will cost $2.6 billion as the N.C. Department of Transportation seeks to repair roughly 90 miles of road catastrophically damaged by Tropical Storm Helene.”

The projects were presented during the May 12 meeting of the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina. While construction for many projects is expected to begin in mid-to-late 2025, some projects have already begun repairs.

Following is a summary of the highway plan:

The 12-mile section of I-40 along the Pigeon River Gorge in Haywood County that was largely washed away during Helene is expected to be the highest priced infrastructure project in WNC at an estimated $1 billion. The contract for the project was awarded on Oct. 31, and construction on the full recovery project started on Feb. 27, shortly before the road reopened to the public with a modified traffic pattern.

From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE — A new sign has been posted by UNC Asheville “advising the public to keep out of a wooded area in the Five Points neighborhood of North Asheville,” Asheville television station WLOS (News 13) reported on May 12.

The sign reads that the area is “UNC Asheville property” and is “not designated for public use.” The sign also states: “The property contains hazards, including: unstable and fallen trees, risk of falling branches, [and] uneven terrain.”

A UNCA spokesperson provided the following statement regarding the new sign:

“Not designated for public use” means we do not intend for the property to be used by the general public. Unlike the actively maintained areas of campus, the wooded area presents natural hazards and safety risks. The University is not actively prohibiting entrance onto the property, but it is not a public forum. Therefore, public gatherings or events in the area are not permitted, and we do not approve requests to use the space for a gathering or event.”

News 13 noted, “The university has designated the land as part of its Millennial Campus property and is exploring options for its future use.

“Residents who have used the woods for walking have launched a ‘Save the Woods’ campaign, urging UNC Asheville not to develop the property.

“In February, UNCA students and worried community members protested over the possibility of losing a 45-acre campus green space at the university. A digital petition called “Protect the UNCA Urban Forest” also has over 12,000 signatures,” as of May 12.

News 13’s “Comment Bubble” appearing after its story included the following opinions:

• SallySamsara — “It is SUCH a farce that UNCA gets to ‘greenwash’ themselves as a ‘Tree Campus,’ as a ‘Bee Campus’ and as a ‘Green Campus’ and blather on about ‘environmental resilience,’ when the Admin can’t wait to plow and pave over a rare 45-acre urban forest of mature 100-year-plus trees and an ecosystem that supports bees, owls, hawks, woodpeckers, box turtles, etc. For yet another hotel? One that gets no state tax? All those designations need to be revoked as false advertising to prospective students. UNCA has lost it’s way.”

From Staff Reports

MILLS RIVER — Asheville leaders helped to break ground on an expansion at the city’s Mills River Water Treatment Plant here on May 23.

Specifically, the phase two enhancements, according to a City of Asheville press release, will include the following:

• A million-gallon clear well to increase the storage of treated water.

• An eight-million-gallon reservoir for raw water.

• New pumps and equipment for the plant’s emergency generator.

• A new backwash lagoon for a potential increase in treatment capacity.

• New switchgear for the emergency generator for reliable and seamless power transfers during power loss.

The city noted that phase two sets the stage for phase three, which will double the Mills River Plant’s water treatment capacity.

“We learned during Helene how critical a resilient water system is,” Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer said. “Complex projects like this require months and years of planning and are only the result of collaboration among water staff and our partners in the private sector.”

Attention Daily Planet readers:

To accommodate holiday schedules for the Daily Planet’s staff, the newspaper will change its publishing dates — and skip an edition — in June and July.

The June and July schedule of editions of the Daily Planet will be as follows”

• June 18 • July 02 • July 23

With the July 23 edition, the newspaper will revert to its biweekly (every other Wednesday) publishing schedule, and the next edition will be Aug. 6.

The Daily Planet, running 24/7, usually skips an edition during the two slowest news periods of the year — around July 4 and around Jan. 1.