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Welcome to the Wilkes County US 421 and NC 268/US 421 Business Improvements Website!
TIP Projects U-3468 and R-0616 have been included in the 2004-2010 North Carolina Transportation Improvement Program (T.I.P.) to improve the US 421 corridor and the NC 268/US 421 Business corridor in the vicinity of Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro, in Wilkes County. U-3468 focuses on the section of US Highway 421 from west of NC 16 to NC 268, and R-0616 focuses on US 421 Business from US 421 Bypass to its intersection with NC 268/NC 18.
Expected future local and regional vehicular congestion in this area of Wilkes County indicates the need for expanded transportation facilities. The purpose of U-3468 is to reduce congestion, improve safety, and reduce travel time for the US 421 corridor in the vicinity of Wilkesboro. In addition, R-616 will alleviate vehicular congestion on the NC 18-268 and US 421 Business corridor.
US 421 is an intrastate highway facility that connects the southern coastal area to the piedmont and the northwestern part of the state. In the western part of North Carolina, US 421 is primarily an east-west facility. In this area, US 421 connects Winston-Salem and Boone. US 421 is classified as a principal urban arterial.
Existing land use along US 421 in Wilkes County varies. US 421 is surrounded by dense commercial and business development between Dancy Road and US 421 Business. Multiple access points exist along US 421 for the different shopping centers. West of Dancy Road, the land use consists of residential areas with scattered businesses. Signalized intersections exist within the project study area at the following locations: NC 16, Dancy Road, Addison Avenue, Winkler Mill Road, and US 421 Business.
U-3468 has two alternatives.
The first alternative is Northern Option 3, which runs north of existing US 421, crossing NC 16 with an interchange and tying back in to US 421 west of NC 16. This alternative was added as a result of input from the first workshop held in Wilkesboro in July 2003. This alternative is approximately 5.0 miles. The dark blue line shows this alternative on the aerial corridor map.
The second alternative is to Improve Existing Facilities which would widen the existing US 421 Bypass. This alternative is approximately 4.4 miles. The teal line shows this alternative on the study area map.
R-616 also has two alternatives.
The first is Alternative 1, which extends from US 421-NC 16 to the NC 18-268 intersection. This study alternative is approximately 4.6 miles. The red line shows this alternative on the aerial.
Alternative 2 begins at the intersection of US 421 Bypass and US 421 Business and ends at the NC 18-268 intersection. This alternative is approximately 3.3 miles. The orange plus red lines shows this alternative on the study area map.
Wilson Stroud, PE, Project Planning Engineer
Project Development and Environmental Analysis Branch
1548 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1548
(919) 733-7844 extension 310
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NC DOT
NC DOH
NC GOV
