Bamboo fix will have to be reviewed by NPS
By Scott Nicholson
nicholson@mountaintimes.com

One of the more widely used but less visible local accesses to the Blue Ridge Parkway will be getting improvements, but a series of reviews will be undertaken first.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is seeking public input on road improvements to Bamboo Road, which is a state secondary road (SR 1514).

Many local motorists use the Bamboo Road entrance to access the Blue Ridge Parkway (or “Parkwa” if the sign is true). Mark Mitchell/Watauga Democrat

While the state Department of Transportation is overseeing the contracting and repairs, a planning and environmental assessment is required because of the proximity to the National Park Service property.

The proposed action is within the Blue Ridge Parkway’s right of way, and an Environmental Assessment is the first step in analyzing road alternatives and their potential impacts.
The improvements cover about seven-tenths of a mile between Little Laurel Road and George Hayes Road near the parkway’s Milepost 286.

According to the National Park Service, Bamboo Road has one of the heaviest volumes of traffic for unpaved roads in the county and requires greater-than-usual maintenance.
It also has a total crash rate higher than the statewide average.

The section will be widened and paved, which would expand on the current 16-foot-wide gravel surface. The project will be designed to minimize impacts on the parkway’s resources and air, sound and water quality.

Under the $3.2 million secondary-roads priority list for Watauga County, the project’s environmental assessment is partially funded at $245,000 this year, with the rest moved to future years.

Comments can be provided through http://parkplanning.nps.gov and scrolling through the “Blue Ridge Parkway” menu and clicking on the “Bamboo Road” project. Written comments can be mailed to Blue Ridge Parkway, Bamboo Road Improvements Project, Attn: Suzette Molling, 199 Hemphill Knob Road, Asheville N.C. 28803.

The N.C. Board of Transportation has also awarded contracts for two local bridge replacements. Payne Branch Road, over Middle Fork Creek in Boone, is scheduled for replacement after March 31. The $839,000 contract was awarded to Mountain Creek Contractors, with a final completion date of Dec. 31.

A bridge on Anderson Hill Road, spanning Big Horse Creek in Ashe County, will be replaced this summer, with an end-of-year completion date. The $805,000 contract was awarded to James R. Vannoy and Sons Construction Company of Jefferson.

“The safety of our bridges remains a top priority, and these replacement projects will help ensure that both bridges remain in good condition,” said Division 11 DOT board member Arnold Lakey.