<< Back 9/11/02 U.S. 19 delays a mixed blessing By Don Hendershot Westbound traffic backs up in front of Starvin Marvin’s on U.S. 19 where it crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway at Soco Gap. Eastbound traffic snakes through. A number of autos and motorcycles detour to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Many continue over the pass and down into Maggie Valley. Some veer into Starvin Marvin’s complex to gas up, make a pit stop or get a snack at the convenience store. Others are headed for a lunch break at the small cafe where the plastic-lined trout pond signs read “You catch ‘em — we fry ‘em.” Lunchtime business is bustling at Starvin Marvin’s. There is a mixture of locals, tourists and construction workers. Starvin Marvin’s owner, Marvin J. Sutton, can afford to be philosophical about the traffic delays and the expansive road construction going on in front of his businesses. “It’s not hurting me. I get a lot of business from the construction,” Sutton said. And it’s business that will be around for a while. Cherokee DOT engineer Bob Crisp estimates that it will take three years to complete the improvements to U.S. 19 between Cherokee and Maggie Valley. Construction began this past February. Peering outside, Suttons sees that the eastbound flow suddenly stops, and the westbound lane begins to inch forward. “They try not to hold ‘em up too long,” Sutton said. Cherokee DOT construction superintendent Kenneth Panther said all the crews work hard not to delay traffic any longer than necessary. “We keep an eye on traffic and if it starts to get really backed up, we stop and let them through,” Panther said. “I believe most people are tolerating the delays and the construction because they know there will be a nice end product,” Crisp said. That product will be a safer, straighter and wider three-lane road over Soco Gap. According to Crisp there will be improved drainage. The third lane will be utilized as a climbing lane where there are steep ascents and as a left-turn lane where needed. There are also plans for an overlook with a view of Soco Falls. The total project comes with a $30 to $33 million price tag. To date, $15 million has been appropriated from the federal government for the project. “And the first thing I would like to tell everyone is that Harrahs is not paying for the road. We wish they were, but they’re not,” Crisp said. That is not to say Harrahs, which has become the state’s number one single tourist attraction, is not supportive. “We support improvements to Highway 19 between Cherokee and Maggie Valley. Previously, Highway 19 was a dangerous mountain road and we have needed improvements for some time. There have been inconveniences, as is the case with development; however our community and our customers will ultimately benefit from this construction,” said Joyce Dugan, director of external affairs at Harrahs and a former chief of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians. A direct route between the tourist towns of Maggie Valley and Cherokee should benefit both towns, officials say. People in Maggie Valley are looking forward to the road’s completion. “I would say people are excited about it and anxious to get it completed,” said Linda Nash, executive director of the Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Bureau. Delays are inevitable, but Crisp said contractors would not work weekends in October unless it was absolutely necessary. “That constant flow of traffic is critical to Cherokee and Maggie Valley,” Crisp said. Maggie Valley Town Manager Scott Bukfin said he thinks most local people are looking forward to a better road that can handle more traffic. “In the long term, most people see the benefits. There really aren’t many places in this state you can travel without some kind of road-related construction delays,” said Bufkin. Rep. Charles Taylor was instrumental in getting the appropriations through Congress. The funding calls for an 80-20 match with tribal government responsible for the 20 percent match. Cherokee DOT sees the project as a challenge and an opportunity to showcase the abilities of the department. The design and engineering was done in-house and Cherokee DOT is the primary contractor. Crisp called the project a combined effort. He credited tribal officials and employees, Taylor, the town of Maggie Valley, the Federal Highway Administration and North Carolina DOT with making the plan a reality. Crisp said Division 14 of NC DOT, headquartered in Sylva, was assisting the tribe in obtaining right-of-ways. Panther said the tribal environmental planning office and the N.C. Department of Energy and Natural Resources were assisting the tribe to insure no sedimentation and/or erosion problems occurred. Both agencies visit the site regularly, Panther said. The road improvement is scheduled in stages A through G. Stage F, the stretch from the base of Soco Mountain on the Cherokee side to the Haywood County line on the Maggie Valley side is the current area of focus. Crisp said the tribe should be ready to let contracts for paving, striping, guard rails, signs and shoulder work on this section sometime in the spring of 2003. Ledford, Cherokee DOT department manager, said that stage A, in front of Harrahs, should be underway concurrently with the paving of stage F.