Why is traffic so bad these days? Can I keep my bear-proof garbage truck if FCC Environmental takes responsibility? Is it “Poe-table” with a long “e” or “pot-able” as in “pot”? • Asheville Watchdog

Today’s round of questions, my clever answers and the real answers:

Ask: Why is traffic so heavy when tourism in Asheville is down 70 percent? Streets are open. On a recent Sunday, northbound I-26 was clear, as seen from the Haywood Bridge at 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Haywood Road is congested every day. Other places I’ve driven are the same – East Asheville, Montford. Seems even more so than last year when there was no Helene. Is there an answer or is this a new norm?

My answer: You know, it’s taken a few months, but I think we can all agree that the new normal kind of sucks.

Real answer: I think it’s safe to say that everyone who lives here has noticed the traffic congestion. I live in the south and endured it almost every day on I-26, Hendersonville Road and Airport Road.

David Uchiyama, spokesman for the North Carolina Department of Transportation, told me, “Traffic patterns in the greater Asheville area have certainly changed since Helene.”

Some areas are experiencing more congestion, but others are experiencing similar or, in some cases, less congestion, he said.

Uchiyama and NCDOT Division Engineer Tim Anderson presented updated statistics on road problems at the Buncombe County Helene Daily Update on Nov. 26.

“NCDOT has reopened more than 1,100 roads since the storm, and we report that fewer than 270 roads have been closed across Western North Carolina,” Uchiyama said. “As of last week, 8,795 sites have been identified as damaged. This includes 813 bridges and 852 culverts.”

In Buncombe County alone, there were 90 damaged bridges and 27 need to be replaced, Anderson said.

NCDOT estimates about $5 billion will be needed to restore roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure.

Anderson spoke specifically about Buncombe’s repair and restoration efforts.

“Our NCDOT teams identified nearly 2,000 damage sites across the county following the storm,” Anderson said. “Damage severity varies greatly from a small construction site that can take half a day to repair, to a larger repair such as replacing a bridge or a large slide. So our teams have kind of moved from stabilizing temporary entrances to longer-term repairs.”

Obviously, closed roads cause drivers to take alternative routes, which can increase traffic.

Uchiyama noted that there has been a higher concentration of larger vehicles in our area since Helene.

“For example, NCDOT and its contractors had more than 120 dump trucks operating in Yancey County on a given day,” Uchiyama said. “Add in energy crews, utility vehicles, repair vehicles, private contractors, tree companies and others – there are larger, slower vehicles on the roads in Helene-affected areas.”

One of the areas with less congestion is I-40 west of Asheville, largely due to the highway’s closure in the Pigeon River Gorge, where the westbound road was washed out. NCDOT hopes to reopen it in January with one lane in each direction.

I-240 east of Asheville is experiencing increased congestion due to closures of US 70, including a heavily damaged bridge, and Swannanoa River Road, the NCDOT said.

“(On) the U.S. 70 bridge near Exit 55, concrete work is complete,” Anderson said, noting that the storm washed away much of the material under the bridge. “So we had to design a repair that included a concrete repair around those posts to protect them.”

The contractors are now working on the backfill.

“Once the backfill is complete, we will begin installation,” Anderson said. “Our goal is to have the road – Highway 70 through this section – open by mid-December.”

On the city’s east side, Uchiyama said a permanent traffic counter between exits 7 and 8 of I-240 shows a traffic increase of about 23 percent since the storm.

On Swannanoa River Road, contract crews have completed the majority of field work between Fairview and Azalea roads, Anderson said.

South of Asheville, congestion along I-26 and U.S. 25 through Henderson County remains about the same level as before Helene, Uchiyama said.

But north of Asheville it’s a different story.

“When I-26 opened to one lane in each direction in Tennessee, congestion increased north of Asheville,” Uchiyama said. “That will likely decrease as the (Pigeon River) Gorge opens to one lane in each direction, hopefully by New Year’s Day. And it’s going to increase in Haywood County.”

Another factor contributing to the traffic jam was 18-wheeler drivers “trying to take routes that are not designed for them,” Uchiyama said. “We once again ask 18-wheeler drivers to stick to the approved routes.”

Anderson said the NCDOT is aware of the congestion in the city.

“We will be improving signaling in the area to help alleviate some of these congestion issues, but until we open up a few more roads in the Asheville area, there will still be congestion,” Anderson said.

First Sgt. BN Burnette of the North Carolina Highway Patrol office in Asheville said the department certainly noticed the traffic at its office on Tunnel Road.

“You can’t go east on U.S. 70 past the closed bridge, so anyone who needs to get to Swannanoa is forced to drive past the office and get on I-240 there,” Burnette said. “It’s just one of those situations where when you have so many people trying to get into one box, it takes a while to get it done.”

He noted that U.S. 70 from Asheville to Swannanoa is a major artery for that part of the city. NCDOT traffic maps show the road handles 24,500 vehicles daily near Haw Creek and 21,500 vehicles near Riceville Road.

“Anyone who has spent a lot of time here knows how busy the road gets in a day,” Burnette said. “This is just one of those situations that we will have to deal with until DOT is able to complete this work. They’ve done a great job since the storm and they continue to do a great job.”

Ask: The county’s new waste collection company, FCC Environmental, stated in a call to customer service that we cannot use our existing trash receptacles, including the bear carts. I saw on the Buncombe County website that we could keep our bear carts. I’m not sure how this will happen, but are we still really going to dump thousands of existing regular trash and recycling containers into the county landfill?

My answer: I’m telling you, the bear lobby is strong in this area.

Real answer: Me Buncombe County spokeswoman Lillian Govus asked about it at Wednesday’s daily Helene briefing.

When asked if garbage cans go to landfill, she gave a very emphatic answer.

“Hell no,” Govus said.

She also made it a point to ensure customers could continue to use their bear carts.

“So you can definitely use your bear carts,” Govus said. “Like anyone else starting a business and recruiting and establishing new employees, I am concerned that some people have received incorrect information from the call center. But if you bought a bear cart, you can 100 percent keep that bear cart. We won’t take that bear cart away from you when we collect bear carts.”

Govus wanted to be absolutely clear on this point: “You don’t have to buy a new bear cart,” she said. “That would be completely unfair to ask of our community.”

According to the FCC website, these carts cost $320, but you can rent them for $10 per month.

At the start of the briefing, Govus noted that FCC Environmental will begin delivering new carts next week on regularly scheduled solid waste pickup days.

“So if your pickup day is Monday or Tuesday of next week and you have already signed up for service with FCC Environmental, your new cans may be delivered to you and your Waste Pro cans may be picked up,” Govus said.

If you haven’t signed up for the new doses yet, visit fccenvironmental.com/buncombe-county/.

These Waste Pro cans don’t end up in landfills.

“These cans belong to Waste Pro, so Waste Pro will actually pick them up,” Govus said.

Waste Pro will continue to collect trash until January 1, when its contract expires, but will only pick it up from FCC bins.

Ask: If the word “potable” is pronounced “pote-able” with a long “e” or “pot-able”, as in “you can put it in a pot”. I’ve heard it pronounced both ways by many different people.

My answer: I feel like this might reignite the whole “Lee-cester/Lester” debate about how to pronounce “Leicester.” By the way, it is “Lester”, like the town in England. Oh, here we go…

Real answer: I choose the long “o” sound, as in “pote-able,” but I have heard many people, including those with a lot of water experience, say “pot-able.”

I would like to note that Merriam Webster’s online dictionary lists the punctuation as pō-tə-bəl with the long “e”. And if you click on the little pronunciation tab, the computer speaker will pronounce it the same way.

Fun fact from vocabulary.com: “The word comes from the Latin potare, meaning ‘to drink.'”

The respected Cambridge Dictionary, which is very British, also uses a long “e”.

Well, I’m not going to argue with anyone on this matter, but we all know what it means no matter how you pronounce it. And if you can put water in a pot and cook with it, it’s okay to consume it, so I understand how that might have evolved.

But if you want to disagree with me on this matter or prove me wrong, just go ahead!

As long as you then agree to have a potare with me at a local pub.

Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team that produces stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Do you have a question? Send it to John Boyle at [email protected] or 828-337-0941. His Answer Man columns appear every Tuesday and Friday. The Watchdog’s local reporting during this crisis is made possible by community donations. To show your support for this important public service, go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.

Related