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1 • V. TRANSPORATION PLANNING 21 concerns over different aspects of the report . instead. These options do not cost much more, and according to town staff, DOT has been very receptive The Hickory by Choice draft plan was left open for to helping the town meet its goals . Most recently, public comment for almost three years . This long com- NCDOT has agreed to place Share the Road signs at ment period gave citizens and committee members the north and south ends of Fletcher along the US 25 time to recognize and resolve conflicts before the plan Corridor to indicate the presence of bicycle traffic to ever reached city council, and helped to ensure that the be accommodated by the wide outside lanes designed plan was approved . into the widening project . Hickory has already begun to implement some parts As with several communities across the state, Fletcher of the plan , such as converting its downtown one-way does not have a strong downtown core. But just because streets into two-way streets . Traffic flow in the central one doesn't exist, does not mean it cannot be created . business district was never heavy enough to warrant On thirty acres of land owned by the town, plans are to one-way streets , so this change has made it much easier build a pedestrian oriented downtown center of mixed- to navigate downtown . Much of the implementation use development. Developers and residents have shown remains to be done, but the public involvement in the great interest in the idea and Park Ridge Hospital is Hickory by Choice project has bolstered its success already building in the new town center. thus far. 1 SOPRINtGASS L CONNECTING THE RIVER TO THE TOWN MAKING STREETS SAFER The town of Hot Springs has long been a quaint resort In the mountains of North Carolina , Fletcher sits on and a favorite stop along the Appalachian Trail. People US 25 . When word came that the state DOT was plan- come here for relaxation and mountain views . The ning to widen what essentially serves as this 12 -year-old downtown area, while very popular, did not have many town 's main street, citizens wanted to make sure the places for safe pedestrian traffic . To combat this problem rural character of the town would not be covered in and preserve a historic 1910 trestle bridge , citizens asphalt and concrete . The Town conducted a " Corridor organized a campaign to restore the Red Creek Bridge Study " with planning funds from the Asheville Area and landscape the area surrounding it . The project will MPO and began working with NCDOT to incorpo - open an empty tract of land adjacent to downtown , rate landscaped medians , crosswalks , and other aesthetic quadrupling the pedestrian area and giving pedestrians features into the new road that would make it comfort- access to one of the town's nicest natural features , able for pedestrians and more in character with Spring Creek . f � Fletcher's small town atmosphere. In the area north of town, a landscaped median has been provided as a Without any money from the town, citizens managed " Gateway Feature " that will signify the entrance into to apply for and obtain grants from the NCDOT and Fletcher. Other features include sidewalks , landscaping, other state organizations . The remainder of the money a town sign, and decorative crosswalks . South of town , for the project will be raised from local businesses and - where the widening project is still underway, the US 25 citizens . Creating a greenway around the creek, with bridge spanning Cane Creek is designed to allow for a the bridge as its anchor, was a relatively inexpensive and pedestrian underpass as part of a planned greenway. environmentally sound way to increase the pedestrian Rather than putting a blank concrete retaining wall up areas of downtown and make the area more attractive to when it had to cut into the side of a hill , the town visitors who come to the mountains . asked the DOT to put up a brick-patterned wall