Swain County Commissioners listened to proponents and opponents of the North Shore Road at their Oct. 29 work session.

The issue of a “park road” along the north shore of Fontana Lake has been haunting Swain County for nearly six decades.

In 1943 the county, the state of North Carolina, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the U.S.
Department of Interior signed a contract stating the Park Service would build a road through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park along the north shore of Fontana from a point near Bryson City to Fontana Dam. The agreement was a mitigation of sorts for the flooding of N.C. 288 by the creation of Fontana and the incorporation of the remaining 44,000 acres of Swain County between the lake and park boundaries, into the park.

After 58 years, the county has been left with seven miles of road (The Road to Nowhere) and dozens of failed attempts at finding an equitable solution to the 1943 agreement. The issue was rekindled in 2000 by the appropriation of $16 million by Sen. Jesse Helms, with the support of Rep. Charles Taylor, for the stated purpose of the construction of the North Shore Road.

Leonard Winchester, technology coordinator for Swain County Schools, Jerry McKinney, a local realtor and Raleigh attorney, and Swain County native Luke Hyde spoke on behalf of the newly formed Citizens for the Economic Future of Swain County. The group, which has been meeting at the Calhoun Country Inn, is seeking a compromise solution to the 1943 agreement that would include an economic settlement, a heritage museum and greater cemetery access along the north shore.

Winchester said he favored a cash settlement with the principal going into a trust and the interest going into county coffers.

“You’re crystal ball is probably better than mine regarding the economic benefits of a road,” Winchester told commissioners.

“But I would like to see efforts go toward something immediate and certain that would benefit everyone in the county.”

“We’re not here to ask for a decision tonight and we’re not here to oppose anything ... We would like to initiate a dialogue to see if there are any viable options,” McKinney said.

He said the county had a “blank check” with the Park Service that could be used to create something on the North Carolina side of the park that would serve the best interests of the GSMNP and Swain County.

Hyde said he had been a long time proponent of the road and as a lawyer often thought the solution was to “sue the bastards and get the road.”

“But in reality, as a lawyer, if it ain’t been settled in 58 years, odds are against it. As intelligent people we need to look to see what we can do if the road isn’t built,” Hyde said.

Linda Hogue, president of the North Shore Road Association, urged commissioners to support construction of the North Shore Road.

“Forty-three percent of Swain County is in the GSMNP. The tourist potential is untapped. Let’s build the museum that was talked about earlier but not at the end of the tunnel, farther down the road. A road would bring in more than $40 million a year for many years,” Hogue said.

Hogue also presented commissioners with a draft resolution supporting the construction of a road.
I believe this is the best chance we have had to get started on a road,” she said.

Commissioners asked for written comments from the speakers and said they would review the statements and determine if there was any action to be taken by the board.

 

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