NC 42 project near YMCA pushed back again

ASHEBORO — An Asheboro street project that was first brought to the attention of the public in 2019 has been rescheduled for next year.

Contracts for the NC 42 widening project between Dixie Drive and Salisbury Street are now tentatively scheduled to be let in June 2025, according to Cary Fine, resident engineer for NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT) District 8. 

Under that scenario, actual construction would begin in July or August of next year and take an estimated 24 months.

Local drivers using NC 42 noticed recently that the section of roadway in question has been repaved and relined. Some wanted to know if that work hinted at the continuation of the overall project.

But Fine said that the local DOT maintenance office made the decision to resurface that portion of road due to a number of potholes and rough areas. Officials chose that option rather than doing temporary patchwork. That work was separate from the NC 42 project, Fine said.

Earlier, some of the preliminary work in preparation for the widening of NC 42 was done, with right-of-way acquisitions and moving of utility lines. But that work remains to be completed, Fine said.

The stretch of roadway, from near Dixie Drive to Salisbury Street, includes the intersection with Dublin Road and the entrance to the Randolph-Asheboro YMCA, a heavily congested area at certain times of the day and week. 

A public meeting was held by representatives of the DOT in January of 2019 at Lindley Park Elementary School. At that time, a DOT public relations officer, Andrew Barksdale, said widening of NC 42 would be from two to three lanes with a center left-turn lane, a traffic signal at Dublin Road, and separate entrances to NC 42 from Dublin Road, Thomas Street and Dublin Square Road. 

NC 42 will become the main-through street where it connects with Salisbury Street. There also will be concrete curbs and gutters and sidewalks on both sides of NC 42 from Salisbury Street to Dixie Drive, according to Barksdale.

The project was thrown off schedule in the fall of 2019 because of a couple of factors. The DOT said at the time that disaster recovery spending due to hurricanes had cost the state much more than was budgeted. The other reason had to do with disputes with landowners over pending rights-of-way.

At the January 2019 public meeting, the DOT handed out the following information:

“The purpose of the proposed project is to improve traffic operations and address safety concerns along the NC 42 corridor. The realignment of the major intersections along this corridor and the change in traffic control at some locations, such as adding dedicated left-turn lanes and implementing an all-way stop, is expected to improve traffic operations. 

“Providing a two-way left turn lane is expected to have an overall positive impact on the pattern of rear end crashes this corridor is currently experiencing that involve a left turning vehicle stopping in the through lane. Providing a two-way left turn lane between intersections will provide a refuge area outside of the through lane for those vehicles waiting to turn left into driveways located throughout the project corridor.”