DOT to Fix Damaged “No-Mans Land” Road - TribPapers
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DOT to Fix Damaged “No-Mans Land” Road

City of Asheville and NC Department of Transportation vehicles at the site of the damage road which no one wanted to claim.

Asheville – The heavy rains and flooding from Hurricane Ida back in August washed out a stretch of “no man’s land” in Asheville. Floodwaters washed away the section of the road where Honeysuckle Lane and Appalachian Way meet in the Deaverview area of Buncombe County. Neither the City of Asheville nor the NC Department of Transportation (DOT) wanted to claim the washed-out section of road, which forced area residents to detour for the last three months. 

Just days after our previous report, both the city and state began commenting about who’s going to fix the damage. 

“Both the City of Asheville and NCDOT have been trying to determine who should have maintenance responsibility for this portion of Appalachian Way,” said Polly McDaniels with the City of Asheville. “After a thorough search of state and city records/maps, NCDOT and city staff have verified that the city limit is at the center of the creek.” 

Delayed Responses

This response came weeks after the Tribune first started asking questions of the city.

“Based on this information and that Appalachian Way was on the NCDOT system approximately 60 years ago, NCDOT has said it will resume maintenance responsibility for the short section of Appalachian Way from Woodland Terrace to the creek,” explained McDaniels.  

“Having verified these limits, we have scheduled the pipe replacement and will work with our central staff to correct the state map in this location and with the city to correct the city limit sign location,” said Timothy W. Anderson, NCDOT Division Maintenance Engineer. “Our crews should be mobilizing very soon to install the new pipes and repair the roadway.”

“NCDOT has been in regular communication with this property owner and we happily corresponded as recently as Monday,” said Tim Anderson, NCDOT Division 13 Maintenance Engineer.

“NCDOT records and city records did not match in this location. Since the roadway was damaged, both the city and NCDOT have been trying to determine who would be able to correct the issue to restore connectivity in the community,” explained Anderson. “After a thorough search state and city historical records and maps, NCDOT andc city staff have verified that the city limit is at the center of the creek. Since NCDOT maintained the entire length of Appalachian Way some 60 years ago, we will manage the pipe replacement and make the corrections to our maps showing NCDOT maintenance to the center of the creek as well. Our crews will be mobilizing very soon to install the new pipes and repair the road.”

According to Uchiyama, “Two 60-inch wide pipes will be installed. Once crews begin, the work should take approximately two weeks to complete, pending weather.”

However, Marc Stone, a city resident who has lived just up from the damaged road since 1969, believes the move by the state to go back with two 60 inch pipes is a mistake. 

“It’s gonna get backed up next time we have a flash flood like last time and possibly washed out again,” said Stone. Stone believes a bridge is needed to prevent this kind of washout from happening again.