Relocation of main sewer line extends completion date of N. Highland Lake Road project
FLAT ROCK - The North Carolina Department of Transportation continues work on what it calls the modernization of North Highland Lake Road, and the original estimated completion date of March 2024 is changing due to several factors, according to David Uchiyama, who is the communications officer for the mountain region of the NCDOT.
"The contractor experienced significant delays to beginning construction due to material supply issues resulting in a 177-day extension. This pushed completion to March 10, 2024. Once the project commenced, issues with utilities have plagued the project," he told the Times-News on Aug. 23. "We are currently going through a construction revision process to relocate a main sewer that has been discovered. Tat will extend the completion date to the fall of 2024."
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Flat Rock Vice Mayor Anne Colleta believes it will take even longer.
"The current NCDOT schedule shows the project should be completed in October 2024. In my opinion, that end date will be extended into 2025," she told the Times-News on Aug. 23.
The background
Most people think this project is a road-widening project. It isn't, Colleta said.
"This project is considered road 'modernization' by NCDOT ... not widening. The road’s lane widths will remain the same, each at 11 feet wide, but the project adds shoulders, curb and gutter on the North side and three turn lanes. The project affects 1.1 miles between Greenville and Spartanburg highways," she said.
Originally, the contract duration was from Oct. 1, 2021 to Sept. 15, 2023, but the project experienced delays. The initial cost to NCDOT estimate was $2.6 million. The current estimate is $9.97 million.
According to Colleta, the project was something the Flat Rock Village Council didn't want.
"In December 2019, with new village council members elected who opposed the project, the Flat Rock Village Council passed a resolution requesting NCDOT cancel the project as unnecessary," she said. "Consensus by Henderson County and the City of Hendersonville was needed in addition to the Village, since the road goes through all three jurisdictions, although the majority of it is inside Village lines. The Village did not receive support from the county or the city in our request, so the project continued to move forward."
After a bid was accepted, construction began in April 2023, and the road closure with detour went into effect on May 30. But that doesn't mean the entire road is closed. According to the Village of Flat Rock website, The Park at Flat Rock is still accessible via North Highland Lake Road from Spartanburg Highway.
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Also, the website reports that any property entrance onto North Highland Lake Road is also accessible. The current designated detour is to use Spartanburg Highway or Greenville Highway (depending on your direction), cutting across on Shepherd Street. The NCDOT has detour signs in place.
What's the latest?
Colleta said as of Aug. 23, the road is currently closed at the Dye Creek culvert for culvert replacement.
"Unfortunately, locating water and sewer utilities under the road has proven difficult for the NCDOT due to some incorrect mapping of those utilities. NCDOT is working to resolve those issues, but until that resolution occurs, NCDOT is unable to continue with the major construction work at that location and the road will remain closed. Later on in the project, NCDOT will need to close both lanes of the road again for an extended period to replace the culvert at King Creek," she said.
At all other times, NCDOT will work to keep the road open with at least one accessible lane, she said.
As with all construction projects, local businesses have been affected.
"The closing has affected entrance into Village's Park at Flat Rock as well as several businesses, including Dale's Automotive, Hendersonville Dermatology, Highland Lake Inn and Pinecrest Presbyterian Church. I've heard from Hendersonville Dermatology that some of their patients find it very confusing to locate their office with the road closures," Colleta said.
Laurie Blate-Baker of Bee Well Health Consultants, located at 391 Highland Golf Drive, posted on Facebook for drivers to be cautious through the construction on the road.
"Please be exceptionally carefully coming into and leaving The Park, because they're having vehicles use the entrance as both or the exit as both, and it's very narrow," her post on the Hendersonville, NC Facebook page said. "{There is) lots of hidden danger since no one knows what's happening. It'll still be open but please, please, please do be very careful and move very slowly."
Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Find out new expected completion date of N. Highland Lake Road project
