NC Department of Transportation began planning for the Blue Ridge Road Interchange project more than twenty years ago. The design of the interchange has shifted over time, but the final design was selected in 2021. The project will convert the I-40/Blue Ridge Road (S.R. 5000) grade-separation to an interchange, widen Blue Ridge Road from just south of the new interchange north to U.S. 70 and construct a roundabout at the intersection of Blue Ridge Road and N.C. 9. The project will cost nearly 32 million dollars. The project is entirely funded through NCDOT.
The interchange will reduce congestion and the number of large trucks traveling through downtown. The scope of the project will include bike and pedestrian facilities as recommended in the adopted Blue Ridge Road Small Area Plan. These improvements are limited to the project area of the interchange.
The interchange will include bike and pedestrian improvements in the project footprint, including sidewalk and multi-use shared paths as recommended by the Blue Ridge Road Small Area Plan, which was adopted by the Town in 2018.
If you have questions about the interchange project, please contact Mike Clark with NCDOT or visit their webpage.
Mike Clark, Project Engineer, NCDOT Division 13, mgclark@ncdot.gov, 828-251-6171