Lowe’s bought a site in Sylva last week for a new store, leaving town and N.C. Department of Transportation planners scrambling to find a way to minimize traffic impacts at the intersecton of N.C. 107 and N.C. 116.

“The main thing I’ve been concerned about is Lowe’s, the DOT and the town trying to work out something that is a good solution to the ingress and egress,” said Sylva Town Manager Richard McHargue.

The store is slated to go in near the intersection of the two highways, which have already been the topic of much discussion in terms of planning for Sylva’s continued growth.

N.C. 107 is a five-lane highway that carries the great majority of traffic between Sylva and Western Carolina University. It is the primary commercial strip in town. N.C. 116 is a two-lane highway that connects with U.S. 441 between Dillsboro and Cowee Mountain.

As of 2003, DOT traffic counts indicate an average of 25,000 cars per day travel on N.C. 107. More than 8,000 cars per day travel N.C. 116.

Although specific site plans have yet to be developed, Lowe’s is expected to request driveway access points from both highways. It is up to the DOT Division Engineer Jonathan Woodard to approve or deny these requests. Woodard said he had not been aware of Lowe’s plans to locate in Sylva.

Road planning primarily will fall in the hands of Sylva’s Jim Aust, who is the building inspector, code enforcement officer and planner Jim Aust. Aust has proposed a plan that would extend existing roads to form an access road to the Lowe’s property, using Griffith Road, located slightly east of the county complex on N.C. 116 that is currently under development, and Chaparral Drive, located off N.C. 107 just south of Wal-Mart across from Lee’s Bar-B-Que.

“It’s basically what I’ve been preaching for two years now — alternate access,” Aust said.

The plan also would allow for the possibility of a back entrance to Wal-Mart, stemming from the Chaparral Drive extension, and Aust hopes to see the entrance to the State Employees Credit Union off N.C. 107 rerouted so that there are fewer curb cuts.

“Hopefully we can get Lowe’s and the Credit Union to talk to each other,” Aust said.

Another feature of the plan is realignment of the proposed exit from Smoky Mountain High School.

Prior to Lowe’s entry into the equation, school and DOT officials worked together to develop a plan for the high school that would shut down the main entrance at the intersection of N.C. 107 and N.C. 116 and route traffic onto Fairview Road. Traffic would loop up between the high school and Fairview Elementary school campus and exit via a Jones Street extension on to N.C. 107. The project has been estimated at $1.6 million.

Moving the high school’s exit route from Jones Street to Crestview Heights, located slightly north, potentially would allow for a formal, four-way intersection, as Crestview is opposite Chaparral Drive.

“When I look at this from an aerial map, from a planning standpoint, it would make more sense to incorporate the school master plan up to Crestview Heights,” McHargue said.

DOT officials have expressed support for the plan.

Lowe’s, the DOT, Cherokee County Commissioners and school board officials in Murphy recently brokered a deal in which Lowe’s agreed to pay to relocate a high school’s driveway to provide for a safer intersection, said Division 14 Traffic Engineer Scott Cook. The Lowe’s was slated to go in directly across from the high school, with a nearby Wal-Mart completing the trifecta — a situation similar to Sylva’s.

“They were very helpful,” Cook said of Lowe’s planners.

Exactly how much traffic the new Sylva Lowe’s will generate is unknown, though the store is expected to do $22 to $26 million in business and create as many as 175 jobs. In Waynesville — where Lowe’s also is located within a quarter mile of a high school and a Wal-Mart — traffic on U.S. Business 23 near the Lowe’s intersection increased from 9,200 cars per day in 1994 to 11,100 cars when the store opened in 1995. The intersection was also part of the $10.2 million Old Asheville Highway transportation improvement project.

“I’m going to hold (Lowe’s) feet to the fire since we committed to financial aid for this,” Aust said, referring to the town board’s agreement to apply for infrastructure improvement grants on Lowe’s behalf.