Asheboro - Governor Pat McCrory was joined by Department of Transportation Secretary Nick Tennyson, Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary Susan Kluttz and local representatives today to celebrate the groundbreaking of the U.S. 64 Asheboro Bypass. The bypass will relieve heavy traffic congestion, improve local access and increase safety along the corridor. The project also includes the 1.8-mile Zoo Connector, which will improve access to the North Carolina Zoological Park and alleviate current congestion issues on Zoo Parkway. 

 

“This project will help provide a freeway connection to the North Carolina Zoo and alleviate current issues with traffic congestion for both visitors and residents,” said Governor McCrory. “This is one of many projects under construction across the state that will help improve regional and cross-state connectivity that are central to enhancing economic development and quality of life.”

 

The new bypass is a major part of Governor McCrory’s 25-Year Transportation Vision to enhance travel safety and to better connect North Carolinians to jobs, education, healthcare and recreation opportunities.

 

“The U.S. 64 Bypass is a significant project for this region because it will improve travel time for locals and visitors and provide an easy access point to the Zoo, one of our state’s great tourist destinations,” Secretary Tennyson said. “Similar projects across the state will be made possible thanks to the new transportation formula championed by Governor McCrory that prioritizes projects based on need, not politics.”

 

The U.S. 64 Asheboro Bypass is a 16.1-mile four-lane highway that will improve traffic flow, reduce congestion, improve safety and enhance high-speed regional travel on the U.S. 64 corridor. The project includes 6 interchanges and 24 bridges.

 

The Zoo Connector is a full-access two-lane roadway that runs directly to the entrance of the North Carolina Zoo and can only be accessed at two break points. The connector will tie into the architecture of the Zoo with an enhanced bridge design.

 

“I am thrilled that work has begun on the Zoo Connector to allow easier access to one of our most popular tourist destinations,” said Secretary Kluttz. “The North Carolina Zoo provides an experience like no other zoo anywhere. With nearly 2,000 animals and 52,000 plants, it is the largest natural habitat zoo in the world and one of our state’s treasures. I am also very appreciative of the governor's initiative called Art That Moves You which has allowed our department to partner with Secretary Tennyson and DOT to beautify bridges and other infrastructure, and which will make the Zoo Connector even more special with imprints of elephants and other zoo-themed designs in its construction.”

 

Construction is scheduled to begin in July 2016 with completion scheduled for late 2019.

 

For more information on the U.S. 64 Asheboro Bypass project, visit the project’s website.

 

New transportation projects in the state’s current 10-year plan are funded through the Strategic Mobility Formula, a new way of more efficiently investing transportation dollars by using a data-driven scoring process along with local input to fund more projects and create more jobs. Governor McCrory championed the new mobility formula and signed it into law in June 2013