Amid much fanfare, a nine-mile stretch of Interstate 26 between the U.S 19/23 interchange and the Tennessee state line officially opened Aug. 5 in Madison County. The new stretch of road is the final link in a four-lane divided highway connecting Asheville and Johnson, Tenn.

Drivers might notice, however, that signs between Asheville and the U.S. 19/23 interchange do not say “I-26.” Instead, the road is labeled “Future I-26,” because that part of the road is not up to interstate standards. Until it is brought up to the standards, it cannot legally be called I-26.

The N.C. Department of Transportation has plans to improve the highway, both around Asheville and from Asheville to the recently opened piece of road.

In Asheville, I-26 will eventually be routed over a portion of the existing, and to be upgraded, I-240 and a yet-to-be-built new stretch of road. The project is sometimes called the “Asheville Connector” and is funded as an urban loop project in the state’s Highway Trust Fund. Despite having a guaranteed funding source since 1989, local opposition has kept work from starting. Design work is under way, and right-of-way purchases are to occur in 2006 and 2008. Construction is schedule to begin in 2009. Further delays, however, are possible, especially given the history by several local organizations to major road projects.

North of Asheville, DOT plans to improve the existing U.S. 19-23/future I-26 to interstate standards. This involves increasing the size of the median, widening the road’s shoulders and bridges, and other improvements. Design work is scheduled to begin in fiscal 2004-‘05. Additional right-of-way is to be purchased in 2007 and 2008. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2010. Total cost of the upgrade is about $125 million.

If all goes according to schedule, I-26 proper would be complete in about a decade, at which point the “future” signs can be retired.

Lowrey is associate editor at Carolina Journal.