Description

In what is being termed a “modernization,” the NCDOT is set to make improvements to a roughly 3.4 mile stretch of Cajah Mountain Road in Caldwell County. While these improvements do not include additional lanes, shoulder and right-of-way expansions will be undertaken.

Many of the improvements are safety-related, as the existing lane widths, shoulders, and curves of Cajah Mountain Road do not meet current NCDOT design standards. The project aims to improve safety by upgrading the road to modern standards and to consider bicycle and pedestrian travel.

There are two major parts to the project. First, from Connely Springs Road to Joplin Road, the NCDOT plans to widen the shoulders, including five feet of paved shoulder in the eight-foot overall width. It will also improve the intersection with Hudson Cajah Mountain Road, and the speed limit west of Sawmills will adjust to 45 mph.

Second, from Joplin road to US 321A, the NCDOT will install a curb and gutter, with 5-foot bicycle lanes and a 5-foot sidewalk on either side of the roadway. It will transition the sidewalk and bicycle lanes to a 10-foot multi-use path from Mount Zion Baptist Church to the project end at US 321A.

Even without adding lanes, bringing the road into modern design specifications means widening the shoulders, altering intersections, and more. The project will require land from many property owners along the path.