NCDOT says I‑26 Connector redesign cuts footprint and trims $125 million in estimated costs; city to continue coordination

City transportation staff and North Carolina Department of Transportation officials told the Asheville City Council on Feb. 11 that an Optimization Refinement process reduced the scope and visual impacts of the long‑planned I‑26 Connector and produced approximately $125 million in estimated savings.

Jessica Morris, assistant director of Asheville’s transportation department, said the city worked with NCDOT and the selected design-build contractor through an O&R process to maintain previously agreed bicycle, pedestrian and aesthetic commitments while reducing the project footprint and impacts to adjacent neighborhoods. She said the city created a multi-department team to coordinate with DOT as design and construction proceed.

NCDOT project manager Nathan Moneyham said the O&R process preserved commitments in the Final Environmental Impact Statement and the Record of Decision, maintained pedestrian and cyclist connections and kept the separation of I‑26 traffic from Patton Avenue. The department estimated approximately $125 million in savings from the O&R work, with the largest line items presented as about $63 million in bridge reductions, $26 million in miscellaneous structures (mainly retaining walls), $25 million in paving and $7 million in earthwork.

Moneyham highlighted several design changes that reduced neighborhood impacts: elimination of one proposed bridge movement across the French Broad River (reducing the number of bridge structures across that crossing from five to four), reduced bridge widths by removing one through lane where traffic modeling permitted, deferring replacement of the Broadway bridge to a future project, and removing a proposed interchange from 240 to Patton Avenue. He said that in Hillcrest the project was redesigned to use existing grades where possible, remove a large retaining wall that would have risen about 25 feet and shift a pedestrian/vehicle bridge to reduce visual and grade impacts to nearby apartments.

NCDOT presented a post‑O&R design (shown to council) that narrowed several roadway cross sections and contained a new loop ramp within the existing I‑26/I‑240 footprint to avoid additional river crossings. City staff said no changes were made to earlier commitments for pedestrian and bicycle betterments and aesthetic elements.

Schedule and next steps: NCDOT said right‑of‑way acquisition would begin in fall 2025, utility relocation is expected to start in spring 2026, and construction is scheduled to start in fall 2026 with an anticipated completion date in 2031. The department said design is roughly 25–30% complete and that weekly coordination with city staff will continue as final design and construction phasing are refined. NCDOT and city staff said they plan public updates and a public meeting on the refined plans in the coming months.

Council members asked about impacts to Hillcrest, Burton Street reconnect commitments and aesthetic details at the Patton Avenue gateway; DOT representatives said federal commitments to Burton Street remain intact, that more public outreach will follow, and that some material choices (for example, deck overlay and some interior bridge rail elements) were adjusted to reduce costs while retaining outer elements and agreed visual guidelines.

NCDOT officials said the O&R process enabled the agency to meet project budget and schedule goals without abandoning commitments made in federal environmental documents.