Answer Man: Wider road for Transfer Station? Lots of pipe welding on Sardis Road?

Today’s batch of burning questions, my smart-aleck answers and the real deal:

Question: I was recently headed down to Hominy Creek on a weekday afternoon and there was a long line of vehicles backed up, with most of them trying to get into the Buncombe County Transfer Station to dispose of assorted trash. From the time I was at the end of the line until I could get to the front, and therefore head down to the Hominy Creek parking lot, it took 28 minutes. Is there any possibility that the county might put in an extra lane so that individuals who are not wanting to go into the transfer station could not be held up by the single file line?

My answer: No, but I suspect there is a possibility less patient people are going to start leaving bags of trash and recycling by the roadside. It's already a tradition with mattresses around here.

Real answer: The county's public information officer checked in with Solid Waste Director Dane Pedersen on this one.

First of all, the Transfer Station is a facility that accepts garbage, recycling and bulky materials, such as couches or mattresses, that are stored temporarily and then taken to the county landfill in Alexander, recycling facilities or other locations. It's located at 190 Hominy Creek Road in West Asheville — and it is a busy place.

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You can find out more about the facility and rates here: https://bit.ly/3wMD7Fc

Small bags of garbage (less than 33 gallons) are $1 each, while 33-gallon bags are $2.

The county understands that the Transfer Station is "very busy" at certain times of the week, Pedersen said.

"We have noticed continual growth in the number of people using the Transfer Station services," Pedersen said via email. "The county understands and encourages everyone to please be patient and use cautious vehicle movements while moving through the line at the transfer station."

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The Transfer Station is trying to minimize wait times, Pedersen said, noting they have implemented these strategies to help with the flow:

• The operation of an automated scale system for commercial vehicles that allows auto entry of load data.

• Positioning a scale house attendant directly in the incoming line to help with quicker transaction process.

• Separating residential and commercial vehicles in two different buildings to help split traffic.

But, in terms of widening that road or adding similar infrastructure, county spokesperson Kassi Day suggested reaching out to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

"No current plans exist for lane widening on Hominy Creek Road," DOT spokesman David Uchiyama said via email.

Question: On the corner of Smokey Park Highway and Sardis Road near the A-B Tech Enka campus and across the road from the Ingles store, there is a project involving a lot of fairly large pipe taking place. When I was sitting at the stoplight recently, I noticed that there was a lot of welding of pipe going on. It appeared the pipe is being anchored above ground, and it appears there are significant number of 90-degree angles in the pipe. I'm aware that there is a lot of growth going on in that area, and I'm wondering what this project is about and who is doing the work. Hopefully the Answer Man can dig up the information as to what this project is about.

My answer: If this is not the plumbing work for the upcoming and much-ballyhooed Asheville Beer Fountain tourist attraction, I'm going to be really disappointed.

Real answer: Alas, it's for natural gas.

"This project is related to the gas line installation project in Buncombe County we’ve talked about in recent months," Dominion Energy spokesperson Persida Montanez said via email.

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Dominion Energy started the project in December 2020 and it should wrap up in spring 2022. It includes installation of 11 miles of new natural gas pipeline that will run from Arden to Enka.

It will help Dominion "upgrade our Buncombe County natural gas system in compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation regulations," according to a project page at Dominionenergy.com.

You can also see the pipeline's route on that page.

Now, back to the work the reader asked about.

"The work the reader mentions on Sand Hill Road involves the construction of a regulator station," Montanez said. "A regulator station reduces the pressure of natural gas for residential and commercial use. The station will not be covered but it will be fenced."

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This regulator station construction, clean-up and restoration of the site should be finished early next year, Montanez added.

"The gas line installation and regulator station work are enhancements that will ensure continued compliance with regulations to serve local homes and businesses as the area continues to grow," Montanez said.

This is the opinion of John Boyle. To submit a question, contact him at 232-5847 or jboyle@citizen-times.com

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Answer Man: Wider road for Transfer Station? Pipe welding on Sardis?