Haywood Road resurfacing: What's coming to West Asheville's central corridor? Bike lanes?
Sarah HonoskyASHEVILLE - A 2-mile stretch of West Asheville's Haywood Road is scheduled for a resurfacing project, and with it the N.C. Department of Transportation is seeking input for future improvements, be it more crosswalks, changes to posted speed limits, pavement markings or bike lanes, according to a Dec. 1 news release.
The project area runs along Haywood Road from Patton Avenue to Ridgelawn Road, a popular corridor replete with restaurants, businesses and bars.
The $7.7 million project is part of NCDOT's scheduled maintenance activities and comes in the midst of the controversial Merrimon Avenue road diet and resurfacing project, which kicked off in October.
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According to the NCDOT project page for the Haywood Road resurfacing, in addition to bringing crosswalks and curb ramps to Americans with Disabilities Act standards and considering a uniform 25 mph posted speed limit along the entire corridor, NCDOT is seeking public input on improvements for the roadway.
A drop-in session to provide input will be 4-7 p.m. Dec. 6 at Trinity United Methodist Church, 587 Haywood Road.
Any changes are limited to the existing right of way along the corridor, from curb to curb.
What does the neighborhood want?
Among the considerations named by NCDOT is the feasibility of adding bike lanes, though they noted any addition would likely impact available street parking spaces.
Already, comments are pouring in.
While many commenters on NCDOT's project page call for more pedestrian and bike facilities, with some naming bike lanes, other people prioritize parking. There are mentions of traffic light timing, more crosswalks and safer intersections.
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According to NCDOT's pedestrian and cyclist crash dashboard, there have been 43 crashes along the project area and in its intersections from 2007 to 2021.
NCDOT spokesperson David Uchiyama said Dec. 2 that a crash report for the corridor would take seven to 10 days to provide.
Billy Doubraski, chair of the East West Asheville Neighborhood Association, boiled down his wish list into two concise requests: safer crosswalks and more walkability for Haywood Road.
"And it sounds like we are going to get that," he told the Citizen Times Dec. 2.
NCDOT has been in conversation with the association since last fall, he said, and he feels it has been a responsive process.
Doubraski lives on Michigan Avenue, just off Haywood Road, and for years has run along the corridor, which he calls the "main artery of West Asheville."
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As far as improvements go, Doubraski said it's a long time coming, and the association has been pushing for safer streets for two or three years.
"Here we are. They are going to do it," he said. Though he acknowledged the parking conversation will be a tricky one, he's in support of bike lanes given the number of cyclists on the road. When it comes to Haywood traffic, he said "slower is probably better."
Currently, there are no bike lanes in the project area. Haywood Road has a dedicated lane beginning at the Ridgelawn Road intersection that connects with Clingman Avenue in the River Arts District.
But even in it's simplest form, a resurfacing project means "less potholes, better pavement," Doubraski said, and it's something to look forward to.
Mike Sule, executive director of Asheville on Bikes, is also advocating for improvements to advance pedestrian and bike facilities along Haywood Road.
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“The reason that Asheville injures and kills more pedestrians and cyclists than any other city in the state of North Carolina is because we have designed our way into those conditions," Sule said. "So what we’re doing is pushing ourselves out of that."
He said Haywood Road, the central corridor of West Asheville, is already functioning like a Main Street, of sorts, which lends itself to even greater walkability.
Jerick Wilson, another West Asheville resident living in the Hall Fletcher area, bikes on the corridor daily with his daughters. At 1 and 4 years old, whichever daughter he is with can fit on the front of Wilson's cargo bike, and he always tries to time his rides to avoid the worst of the rush hours.
His "gut reaction" to the resurfacing was, "How can we make this road safer for cyclists?"
Whether that means bike lanes, more bike and pedestrian facilities or improvements to tricky intersections, he hopes there's a solution that will appease everyone and prioritize the people that live in the area.
“We do need changes. I think right now, (Haywood Road) works for a lot of people, but it would be nice to make everything work for more people, whether that’s bus stops being more friendly and safe, or pedestrians walking, or bicyclists on the road, as well," Wilson said.
“I think making the infrastructure work to where we can limit those frustrations and angers between all the modes, the more friendly we are going to be as a city.”
Sean Piper, owner of Jargon, a restaurant at 715 Haywood Road, which sits in the project area, said his concerns all center around safety.
"Cars race at high speeds without care for pedestrian traffic," Piper told the Citizen Times in a Dec. 2 email. "I have had guests get hit in the crosswalk at Jarrett Street."
He has had near misses himself, "usually accompanied by 'the bird' ... as drivers feel inconvenienced to slow down to let me cross."
He said changes such as a blinking crosswalk sign would be effective to help pedestrians safely navigate the roadway, as well as police enforcement of speeders.
While Asheville on Bikes was a key advocate for bike lanes on Merrimon Avenue, Sule said his vision is different for Haywood Road. As bike lanes would trigger removal of almost 100 on-street parking spaces, which he posited would push cars into the neighborhoods seeking parking, he is advocating instead for other bike facilities — such as bike boxes at intersections, and more wayfinding signage and bike corrals.
“The opportunity on Haywood Road is to really design for pedestrian uses, and when we do that, we naturally slow the corridor," Sule said. "When you do that, you make it a safer, more welcoming environment for people to bike and walk and use transit.”
Included in this push for greater pedestrian movements, he hopes for mid-block crosswalks, refuge islands and improvements to troubling intersections, such as Swannanoa Avenue across from Beacham's Curve, heading toward Hall Fletcher Elementary School, the Burton Street and Haywood Road intersection, and the confluence of Vermont, Sand Hill and Haywood roads.
He also noted an opportunity to create ADA compliant crosswalks and tweak signal timings so pedestrians aren't left jogging across the street or risk missing the light altogether.
“When we design for those pedestrian movements, not just able-bodied, but all the types of people who are moving in our city, we create humane, dignified conditions,” Sule said, and a "more prosperous corridor."
How to give input
Of the estimated project cost, $150,000 is reserved for project development and design, with $7.5 million for construction. The project is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2023.
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When asked for comment, city spokesperson Kim Miller told the Citizen Times "NCDOT is handling engagement on this. We are supporting them, at this time, by sharing their engagement phase through our social media channels."
NCDOT accepts comments throughout all planning, design, and construction phases of project development, according to the project page. All comments will be taken into consideration and carry equal weight, regardless of submittal method.
Comments for consideration during the current phase of project development must be submitted by Jan. 13. They can be emailed to Haywood-Maintenance-Buncombe@publicinput.com, called in at 984-205-6615 with the code 2039, or submitted in a survey found here: publicinput.com/Haywood-Maintenance-Buncombe.
Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@citizentimes.com or message on Twitter at @slhonosky.