By David Rogers. November 16, 2011. BLOWING ROCK -- For at least a couple of years, downtown Blowing Rock will be a "mess." That was the general consensus among members at Chetola Mountain Resort on Monday, after The Rotary Club of Blowing Rock listened to an update on the U.S. 321 widening project by North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) representatives, Mike Pettyjohn and Trent Beaver. Photos by David Rogers.

To their credit, the NCDOT is taking great pains to ease the impact and inconvenience of the widening project, now scheduled to start in earnest in the Spring. Unfortunately, what Blowing Rock residents know as Valley Blvd. will periodically have lane shifts, lane closures, and some periods of complete closure through 2015 when the project is due to be completed.  The official detour is U.S. 321 Business, or Main Street through downtown Blowing Rock.

"We're optimistic that the trucking companies that typically use U.S. 321 will work with us," said Pettyjohn, "and either schedule their routes through the area when the detour is unnecessary, or re-route their trucks through Wilkesboro."

One Rotarian remarked, "If folks think downtown in the summer has 'the creep' now as people hope to find a Main Street parking space, those days will seem like a picnic once all that traffic is re-routed through downtown. I can only imagine what it will be like with all of those trucks."

Another wondered if there was some way of getting the re-routed traffic "...to stop and shop in our downtown retail stores."

Once the project is completed, the project plan looks like it will be fairly attractive, as highways go.  One of the most dramatic alterations will be the new intersection near Chetola, where U.S. 221 intersects with U.S. 321. Where the current path takes U.S. 221 (the north end of Main Street) around Chetola Lake to a signal light near Tanger Outlet, the new intersection will line up U.S. 221 with West View Drive, below Cliff Dwellers Inn.

During Q&A, Pettyjohn was asked why a signal light was not planned where the south end of U.S. 321 Business/Main Street intersects with the widened main highway, especially since it is often dangerous now, with only two lanes of traffic to deal with. "Our experience is that with four lanes, the traffic may actually be spread out a little more, providing drivers with more opportunities," he explained. "But we will closely monitor all of the intersections, and if a light is called for, we can put one in."

In other Rotary business, Rita Davis of Blowing Rock's Wells Fargo branch and former President of Blowing Rock Rotary, presented a Wells Fargo contribution of $1,000 to the Blowing Rock Rotary Foundation, "...to support the on-going great work this club does in the community."  Davis recently returned to the club after a lengthy leave of absence as the former Wachovia branch transitioned to a Wells Fargo office.

 

 

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