NCDOT Public Meeting on I-26 Connector Impacts to Riverside Cemetery
Wednesday, July 1, 9am-11am
register.gotowebinar.com/register/5337732436810573072
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A brief presentation by NCDOT and/or other parties will open the opportunity for public comment on the draft Memorandum of Agreement. The Memorandum of Agreement spells out what “mitigation” NCDOT proposes to address the adverse impacts of the freeway project.
Visualization of the project based on the current designs
The I-26 Connector project entails elevating Hwy 19/23/70 NB as it runs alongside Riverside Cemetery. The elevated roadway will be faced with a large solid wall for much of the length of the cemetery. At the northwest corner of the cemetery, Hwy 19/23/70 will merge with the new I-26 bridge, continuing north as a combined roadway alongside Montford Hills and Hibriten neighborhoods. This design will create very significant visual and noise impacts on Riverside Cemetery and the Montford Community.
The Montford neighborhood association has been working with the City of Asheville and the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County to identify mitigations to help minimize the negative impacts of this project. Our “Joint Consulting Party Team” request to NCDOT can be found at http://montford.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/FINAL-Section-106-Consultation-RCCP-Position.pdf
Some of our requests have been incorporated in the draft Memorandum of Agreement, however, the majority have not. The meeting Wednesday morning presents our last chance to press for further mitigation. Specifically, we will be asking (again) for:
- acknowledgement of the auditory impacts of the project and agreement to mitigate them through a variety of measures;
- a more robust landscaping plan that will provide better visual screening of the wall and roadway;
- context-sensitive lighting and dark-sky compliant fixtures, and
- coordination of construction activities to respect quiet times such as services and events.
We are also continuing to press for future design refinements to lower the height of the roadbed, a measure which will provide the most significant visual and auditory relief, but one that NCDOT is still evaluating for feasibility.
YOU CAN SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS BY SPEAKING UP AT THE MEETING AND UNDERSCORING THE IMPORTANCE OF THESE MITIGATION ITEMS.
This is a complex project, and if you have not been staying abreast of it, it’s a lot to digest. If you do not feel comfortable speaking to specific mitigation items, you can still support our efforts by “showing up” virtually. Testimony as to the central place the cemetery has in our neighborhood and our hearts, and the importance of preserving its beauty and serenity, may also lend weight to our cause.
Attachments:
Consulting Parties Position Statement
Scan of NCDOT public notification postcard
Lynn Raker
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Landscape Architecture + Planning