I can’t believe how much surveying is going on during the past month on the Rt.108 connector between Columbus and Tryon. I’ve seen as many as four teams of surveyors on that road in a single day. We should all buy stock in that company. Between the last fiasco and their latest effort they have landed the mother lode of contracts.

The question is what are they doing out there that makes sense? To be honest, I don’t know.If we believe the NCDOT they said they have scrapped plans for the 4 lane superhighway. So what gives? I’ve heard of the possibility they now may be planning to put in bike lanes. But that doesn’t make much sense to me since they would be faced with some of the same problems they had with widening the road. Trees would have to be removed, telephone poles would have to moved, metal guard rails would have to be taken out, a concrete bridge would have to widened, roadside hills would have to carved out with the possibility of soil erosion and wetlands would have to breached.

Now don’t think I’m anti bike lanes but lets get real. Did somebody ask for bike lanes to be installed? If so, who was it and who approved it. And how much will it cost to put in bike lanes in a two mile stretch of highway? And what happens at the terminal ends of those bike lanes which go through heavily traffic roads in downtown areas? It just doesn’t make sense to me.

Could it be possible that the NCDOT has budgeted money to be spent on that road and they are bent on doing that come hell or high water. Okay let’s assume I’m wrong about the bike lanes. Will somebody out there please tell me exactly what the surveyors are doing  out there and justify what they are planning makes sense. After all it’s our tax money that’s being spent. We deserve the right to know what’s planned so we have the opportunity to express our opinion on whether we think it’s needed or makes sense.

Karl Kachadoorian, Tryon, N.C.