If you're interested in improving Moore County transportation routes -- or making sure those routes don't carve up what's left of the County's forests and farmland -- the next four days offer you a critical opportunity for input. Representatives of the NC Department of Transportation will host seven citizens workshops on transportation planning in the County from November 1 to November 4.
Among the routes on the table: The long-debated and always controversial Western Bypass, or Western Connector.
Long debated and frequently controversial, the purpose of the proposed bypass is to reduce congestion at the Pinehurst traffic circle and along NC Highway 5 by providing a more direct route between West End and the commercial corridor of Southern Pines and Aberdeen. Various options have been considered and discarded over the years; however, most recently, the Moore County Transportation Committee has reopened discussion and actively encouraging residents to participate in the planning process.
Between November 1 and November 4, seven charettes – community workshops – will be held at varying times and locations throughout Moore County to collect public input on the Western Connector and two other major proposed NC-DOT projects, the 24/27 Carthage Bypass and improvements to Hwy 1. Extensive maps will be provided and Moore County Planning staff will be on-hand to assist interested residents.
The format for the charettes reportedly provides participants with maps, string, and ribbons, allowing them to plot for themselves the best route for the new roads. Save Our Sandhills, a group that aims to make sure development pressure doesn't wreak havoc on the County's rural resources, is encouraging members to attend -- and to insist that the best routes for any new roads are along existing roadways, not through farm or forest lands.
The closest charette for the Foxfire and West End areas will be held on Wednesday, November 2 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at the West End Senior Building at 126 Old West End School Lane.
Here's the full schedule:
November 1 from 3-5pm, at the Pinehurst Fair Barn at 200 Beulah Hill Road South.
November 1 from 6-8 pm, at Aberdeen Lake Park Recreation Station at 301 Lake Park Crossing.
November 2 from 1-3 pm, at West End Senior Building at 126 Old West End School Lane.
November 2 from 6-8 pm, at Carthage Community Building at 203 Barrett Street.
November 3 from 1-3 pm, at Cameron Fire Department at 170 Red Hill Road.
November 3 from 6-8 pm, at Village of Pinehurst Assembly Hall at 395 Magnolia Road.
November 4 from 9:30-11:30 am, at Douglass Community Center at 1185 W. Pennsylvania Avenue.
