Staff Report. February 17, 2012. RALEIGH -- Construction crews have begun clearing operations along U.S. 321 in Blowing Rock as part of the widening project, and traffic has been able to travel through the work area. However, there will be times where traffic will be detoured around the area when rock blasting and debris removal take place.

Working with the Blowing Rock Town Council and other town officials, the N.C. Department of Transportation developed a plan for getting around the work zone during these closures. Depending on where the blasting work is being conducted, there may be times where traffic will have to use Main Street (U.S. 321 Business) to get around the work zone. Large trucks with three axles or more will be encouraged to use N.C. 18 to U.S. 421 back onto U.S. 321 during any road closures. These trucks that do business in Blowing Rock will not be allowed to park along Main Street in order to keep traffic moving.

NCDOT will continue to work with the town, including schools, as the project progresses to keep traffic flowing.

Overhead message boards on both sides of town, as well as portable message boards along the work zone, will help guide traffic and inform if there are closures. This will allow travelers to plan their trip in and around Blowing Rock during the project.

For more information or updates on the project, visit the project website (www.ncdot.gov/projects/BlowingRock321/). Follow project progress on the website or via Twitter (@NCDOT_EastMTN).

For real-time travel information on this project at any time, call 511, visit www.ncdot.gov/travel or follow NCDOT on Twitter at www.ncdot.gov/travel/twitter. Another option is NCDOT Mobile, a phone-friendly version of the NCDOT website. To access it, type “m.ncdot.gov” into the browser of your smartphone. Then, bookmark it to save for future reference. NCDOT Mobile is compatible with the iPhone, Android and some newer Blackberry phones.

Comments: