North-south road being considered
A road that would stretch from Interstate 85 in Randolph County to north of Business 40 is being considered as a way to serve the fast-growing middle section of the Piedmont Triad.
The proposal could breathe new life into High Point's plans to build a Westside Thoroughfare. That road, from I-85 to the U.S. 311 Bypass, has been on the books for years. But it has virtually stalled because the state has not provided funding.
The proposed connector would incorporate the Westside Thoroughfare, change its connection to the U.S. 311 Bypass and extend it northward, possibly as far as a proposed toll road that would connect Piedmont Triad International Airport to Winston-Salem.
The north-south connector would also help facilitate plans to develop the "Heart of the Triad" - a regional effort looking at what type of development should occur on 53,000 acres that stretch from PTI to Kernersville. The area is between the Dell plant being built in Winston-Salem and the FedEx hub under construction at PTI.
Planners fear the land will be developed sporadically with single-family homes when it has the potential to become another Research Triangle Park.
A good road network could help facilitate the "Heart of the Triad" plan, but officials said the road will be needed regardless of what is built.
Getting the road built is far from certain. Local governments are just beginning to determine its path. That needs to happen quickly before land is bought by developers.
"That area's begun to develop much quicker than anyone anticipated," said Phil Wylie, High Point's transportation director.
The road would also face regional obstacles. It falls within four counties and three state highway divisions. It's also on the edge of Greensboro, High Point and Kernersville.
"We're not looking at this as just a High Point project, but a regional project," Wylie said.
How the road would be funded is also a question. The state has been unable to fund some road projects already planned. And because it's a regional road, no one area will want to shepherd it for fear that it would hurt other projects.
The Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation may play a role, said Brent McKinney, its executive director. Already, PART is helping coordinate the "Heart of the Triad" project and is using a grant to study the area, he said.
"There's not another agency around to coordinate," he said. "It's on the fringe of everybody's planning area."
Planners are also looking at possibly extending Piedmont Parkway farther west, connecting High Point and Kernersville. High Point already plans to extend the road to Sandy Ridge Road, but it is now looking to extend the road to the Guilford County line.
Kernersville planned to build an east-west connector from Union Cross Road to N.C. 66, and it is studying extending that road to the county line.
"It makes sense to bring those two together," Wylie said.
The region's transportation planning agencies would have to add the proposals to their plans before studies could begin on the paths of both the north-south connector and the extension of Piedmont Parkway.
Contact Amy Dominello at 883-4422, Ext. 248, or adominello@news-record.com