ASHEVILLE, N.C. —  The rationale for a  proposal to widen I-40 with express lanes — on the segment between its interchange with I-26 in Asheville to Exit 27 at Clyde in Haywood County— was explained during the Jan. 9 breakfast meeting of the Council of Independent Business Owners at UNC Asheville’s Sherrill Center.

About 100 people attended.

The meeting began with CIBO board member Steven Foster leading the meeting attendees in the recitation of a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. As usual, at the end or the Pledge, Foster asserted, solo, “I hope!”

After CIBO Past President John Carroll, who served as meeting moderator, noted that the birthday of Patty Beaver (the business group’s interim executive director) was that very day, the CIBO meeting attendees erupted in a singing of "Happy Birthday" to Beaver.

Next, Patrick McQuillan was recognized with a plaque for his “long-time service” on CIBO’s board of directors. “He is stepping down,” Carroll noted.

Among candidates and elected officials in attendance at the meeting included Gary Parris, a Republican candidate for Buncombe County sheriff; Lonnie Israel, a Democratic candidate for Buncombe Board of Commissioners; Terri Wells, a Democratic incumbent seeking re-election to the Buncombe commissioners; and Jamie Ager, a Democrat seeking his party’s nomination to run for the U.S. Rep. seat now held by Chuck Edwards, R-Flat Rock.

Carroll then introduced the first of the program’s two speakers, Tristan Winkler, director of French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Winkler began by noting that the “government definition” of an MPI is: “We are the forum for transportation devision-making for the metropolitan planning area.”

“In general,” he added, “two things you should know about transportation projects... They don’t move quickly.” Winkler said the MPO has been “working on” revamping the area’s road system since 1989. “There are a whole lot of needs and it (the road work) affects a lot of stuff.”

Further, he asserted, “Everyone comes with a different perspective. So, coming to a compromise means that some perspectives will not be entirely happy. So we tell our people to think long-term and don't think everyone wlll be entirely happy.”

He said transporation projects are assigned to either of two types as follows:

• Long-term plans — unfunded projects

• Prioritization project in North Carolina — It determines which projects from long-range plans that will be funded.

“At MPO, we don’t have bulldozers, but we try to do our best to get certain projects funded,” Winkler said.

“Many people are not aware that construction inflation is even higher than regular inflation. As a result, we haven’t seen any new transportation improvement projects funded since 2020.”

Winkler then listed what he termed as “key points” as follows:

• Transportation revenues have remained roughly the same

• Identified needs continue to grow

• Project costs have significantly escalated

He added, “At the MPO, we’ve been talking about revenues not keeping up with costs.

“So, getting into ‘express lanes,’ or a nice way of marketing it, ‘choice lanes,’ which drew laughter from the crowd.

Rhetorically, Winkler asked, “What are ‘express lanes?’”

His answer included the following:

• Free travel lanes with variable tolls to maintain a reliable flow of traffic

• Typically installed as “new” lanes on a facility; general purpose lanes are not converted to express lanes. (They are additional lanes.)

“In North Carolina, these types of facilities are increasingly being used around Charlotte and the Triangle and certain places along the coast,” Winkler said.

“Nationally, these are being installed in more and more places.

“So what section of I-40 are we talking about?” Winkler asked, rhetorically.

“From I-26/I40 intersection (exit 44) 17 miles west to Exit 27” at Clyde in Haywood County,” he answered.

“The major freight movement in the region is on I-26 in South Buncombe and Henderson counties  and on I-40 in west Buncombe and through Haywood and Tennessee. Lots of trucks tend to make for slow traffic.

“A project has a better chance of being funded with an express lane rather than as just another lane. There’s also a bonus allocation that comes along with the contracts. There is some crash reduction expected.

“Believe it or not, these projects are not that popular,” Winkler deliberately understated, prompting laughter from the crowd.

“In terms of why this project would be favored by NCDOT. It would be generally the same benefits as a widening, but the cost would be reduced,” Winkler said.

“In general, the NCDOT’s feasibility analysis said express lanes would e a viable option, cheaper and the fees would cover maintenance.

“Statewide mobility, primarily for us, are our interstates. So when we submit projects for I-26 and I-40 — those competing (with them) are I-240 and Asheville Airport.

“At the November 2025 MPO board meeting our board voted to change it (I-40 widening west of Asheville) to an express lane project,” Winkler said.

During a 10-minute question-and-answer session that followed Winkler’s presentation, an unidentified man asked, “Would they include an extra exit to Candler?”

Winkler said that the express lanes’ project does not include an extra exit to Candler, but the addition of such an exit is in a current project that is underway.

To another question, Winkler responded, “Project approvals are 100 percent based on data. I recommend speaking with your locally elected officials and MPO members to request any road projects.

To still yet another question, Winkler responded, “We are a federally required organization. For decades now, there’s been a recommendation that transportation, in general, is a regional need. Where our organization comes from is from federal law. Our board members are all appointed by our councils.”

An unidentified man asked, “Why, especially because of the terrain, the toll road is more attractive to the needs then just widening the road?”

Winkler replied, “The first determination is that it is needed, but (despite) realizing a widening is needed, it kept getting rejected, so changing it to ‘express lanes’ makes this project more competitive. It was January 2024 when our board asked if this option even would work. One thing to point out, we barely have any redundancy. So when something goes wrong, you’re stuck.”