North Carolina Turnpike Authority to hold public hearings on Garden Parkway this week

The often talked about - and still yet to be built - Garden Parkway - begins another step closer to reality this week as the North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA) holds public hearings this week in Gaston and Mecklenburg Counties.

The Garden Parkway - also known as the Gaston East-West Connector - has been talked about for decades and received a rebirth when the NCTA was created a few years ago.

The public hearings and open houses are as scheduled:

The turnpike authority will hold Pre-Hearing Open Houses all this week:

Monday, June 22, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Gastonia Adult Recreation Center, 519 W. Franklin Blvd, Gastonia;
Tuesday, June 23, from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Forestview High School, 5545 Union Rd, Gastonia;
Wednesday, June 24, from 2:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at South Point High School, 906 South Point Rd, Belmont; and
Thursday, June 25, from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Olympic High School, 4301 Sandy Porter Rd, Charlotte.

Officials with the turnpike authority will hold public hearings on the following dates at 7 p.m.:

Tuesday, June 23, at Forestview High School, 5545 Union Rd, Gastonia; and
Thursday, June 25, at Olympic High School, 4301 Sandy Porter Rd, Charlotte.

For more information:
Proposed toll road center of debate in scheduled hearings -News 14 Carolina w/video
Hearings scheduled for proposed Garden Parkway -WBTV-TV w/video
North Carolina Turnpike Authority - Garden Parkway
Communities Taking a Stand Against the Toll Road

Comments

Anonymous said…

Why exactly is this road necessary? It seems awfully redundant with I-85. Is I-85 that bad between Charlotte and Gastonia?

11:52 AM

Adam said…

More of the demand is of the bypass of US 321 through Gastonia.

Unfortunately, the part that would complete the US 321 bypass from I-85 to US 321 between Dallas and Lincolnton appears to be off the planning board.

7:20 PM

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l

Ghost Town Tuesday; Mannfield, FL and the stairway to Hell

Back in 2015 I went searching the Lecanto Sand Hills for the original Citrus County Seat known as Mannfield. Unlike Centrailia in Hernando County and Fivay in Pasco County I did find something worth seeing. Mannfield is located in the Lecanto Sand Hill section of Withlacoochee State Forest somewhat east of the intersection of Citrus County Route 491 and Mansfield Road. Mannfield was named after Austin Mann and founded in Hernando County in 1884 before Citrus County Split away. In 1887 Citrus County was split from northern Hernando County while Pasco County was spun off to the south. Mannfield was selected as the new Citrus County seat due to it being near the county geographic center. Reportedly Mannfield had as many as 250 people when it was the County Seat. The town included various businesses one might include at the time, even a sawmill which was common for the area. In 1891 Citrus County voted to move it's seat to Inverness which set the stage for the decline of M

The National Road - Pennsylvania - Great Crossings Bridge and Somerfield

West of Addison, US 40 crosses the Youghiogheny River at what once was the town of Somerfield. When crossing the current modern two lane bridge, you many not realize that it is actually the third to cross the Yough at this site. The first - a stone arch bridge - was known as the Great Crossings Bridge. Built in 1818, this three arch bridge was part of the original National Road. The name Great Crossings comes from the men who forded the Youghiogheny here - George Washington and George Braddock. (1) If you cross the bridge at the right time, this historic bridge and what was once the town of Somerfield will appear out from underneath this massive man-made lake. Historical Postcard showing the 'Big Crossings' bridge and Somerfield. Image submitted by Vince Ferrari. The Great Crossings Bridge was located in the town of Somerfield. Somerfield, originally named Smythfield until 1827, would develop as a result of the National Road. (1) Somerfield would go through va

Gribblenation

Search This Blog