NCDOT awarded for environmental excellence by national organization
SYLVA – N.C. Department of Transportation officials in Division 14 recently won a prestigious national award for their efforts in planning a highway project in Graham County known as Corridor K Improvements.
“This is an outstanding project and we are thrilled to receive this recognition,” said state Transportation Secretary Eric Boyette. “Corridor K will enhance mobility and provide great environmental benefits for the region and all its inhabitants. Corridor K will serve as a model for future transportation projects.”
The National Association of Environmental Professionals awarded Division 14 with the Environmental Excellence Award in Environmental Management, Stewardship, Conservation and Protection during its annual awards in May.
“NCDOT is excited to receive this prestigious award,” Division 14 Engineer Wanda Austin said during the virtual ceremony. “This project, more than 50 years in the making, has turned into a very collaborative effort between lots of stakeholders.”
NCDOT used an integrated planning process focused on collaboration with public officials, stakeholders and agency groups since restarting the project in 2015. NCDOT screened out unfeasible options and chose to improve the existing route to improve mobility and access to emergency facilities, educational institutions and employment centers outside Graham County.
The highway project will improve N.C. 143 and N.C. 28 between U.S. 129 in Robbinsville and the existing four-lane section of N.C. 28 at Stecoah. Corridor K Improvements also reduce environmental impacts by more than 50 percent compared to other proposed four-lane alternatives.
The project includes a 270-foot-wide land bridge — the first in North Carolina — that will relocate a section of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and serve as a migratory route for animals including bear, deer, elk and other wildlife.
Austin’s acceptance speech included thanking local officials from Graham County, Cherokee County, environmental advocacy groups including the Wilderness Society, Defenders of Wildlife, Way South, MountainTrue, Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition and the Southern Environmental Law Center.
“This project is a true win-win to get the mobility and reliability for the people while having a stewardship of the environment in the project,” Austin said. “With the Appalachian Trail, we found the best fit and something that is right-sized for the community.
“We are pleased that all of our hard work over the last 50 years, especially the last three years, has paid off and we have a project that is going to be hitting the ground in a couple years.”
