Council discusses road plan

The Department of Transportation's Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) appears to be losing ground in terms of Sparta projects, Town Manager Bryan Edwards reported to the council on Sept. 2.

Reports show the Sparta Western Loop (the U.S. 21 bypass) as a project scheduled to move forward. However, information recently given to the town now pushes the right-of-way and authorization back to May 2011 and the letting of the contract to May 2014.

Mayor John Miller commented, "Here before long, they're going to write us plumb out."

Edwards said, "Everybody's obviously aware of the highway funding situation. It's not good all across the state and projects are continually bumped back. We just seem to be part of that process."

According to information available online through links at the North Carolina Department of Transportation Web site, several projects are on tap for Alleghany, including the aforementioned Sparta Western Loop. Planning and design is in progress for the project.

Other projects on the list include replacement of bridges in four locations in the county, the placement of interpretive and gateway markers in various locales in the county.

 

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