By David Rogers. October 14, 2011. BANNER ELK -- Fears of massive traffic problems this weekend along the nine-mile stretch of NC 194 between Banner Elk and Valle Crucis are either going to be worse than expected, or far better, depending on whether you get the message about the nature of the problems and understand the changes.

Major road construction on NC 194 has had event organizers for the concurrent Wooly Worm Festival in Banner Elk and the Valle Country Fair in Valle Crucis fretting for weeks, including petition and letter-writing campaigns to High Country representatives in the House, Senate, and the NC Department of Transportation to get the road open for this weekend.

Blowing Rock News first learned of the looming transportation nightmare some four weeks ago, while presenting at a meeting of the Banner Elk Kiwanis Club.  To assess the problem firsthand, we returned to Boone and Blowing Rock by way of NC 194.  Seeing major portions of the northbound lane broken apart and falling down the side of the mountain behind the concrete barriers, our skepticism that the repairs could be accomplished by mid-October seemed well-founded.  And when we checked the NCDOT website and found that the work was only 23% complete and not scheduled to be finished until June 15, 2012, we became even more apprehensive about what lay in store for these two blockbuster High Country events.

Blowing Rock News has learned that while event planners did not get an entirely open road this weekend, they probably got the best solution that can be expected: NC 194 will be one way (northbound) from Banner Elk to Valle Crucis.  Meanwhile, Clark's Creek Rd. will also be one-way from Foscoe to Valle Crucis.

For High Country residents and visitors wanting to attend the Valle Country Fair first, then go to Banner Elk for the Wooly Worm Festival, according to the Valle Country Fair website you will be directed to drive out Broadstone Rd. to NC 105, and then south to NC 184 at Tynecastle, turn right and drive 4.3 miles to Banner Elk.

Anyone wanting what will probably be a less congested route from Valle Crucis to Boone, should take NC 194 north out of Valle Crucis.  A detour onto Mast Gap Road is probably still in effect because of bridge-related construction on NC 194 between Mast Gap and U.S. 321/421, but drivers should follow Mast Gap north to U.S. 321, turn right for about one mile until it merges with U.S. 421 going towards Boone to the south and Mountain City to the north (U.S. 421).  The reverse of this route is also a likely to be a longer, but less congested route in getting from Boone to the Valle Country Fair.

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