ASHEVILLE – The state Department of Transportation says it will leave controversial plans to widen a short stretch of Merrimon Avenue on the shelf for now and instead do a general study of the busy North Asheville road.

DOT in January 2018 rolled out a proposal to add a fifth lane to a short stretch of Merrimon from W.T. Weaver Boulevard to Edgewood Road. That sparked opposition from nearby residents, many of whom said they wanted the road to be more of a neighborhood street and less of a path for fast-moving commuter traffic.

DOT said in an announcement Tuesday that it and city staff will meet early this year to determine the exact nature of the study, "with a focus on innovative approaches to designing a multimodal corridor to serve the neighborhood, business, and commuter traffic."

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The study will cover the roughly 2.5-mile corridor between Interstate 240 and Beaver Lake. DOT said it made the decision to look at that section of road instead of proceeding with improvements to a much smaller area around Weaver and Edgewood in consultation with city government.

“Working with city staff and officials has already produced good ideas not only for Merrimon but for other projects in Asheville,” DOT Division 13 Engineer Mark Gibbs said. “We all share a desire to make Merrimon safe and functional for walking, cycling and driving in the near future and for many years to come.”

A time frame for the study was not announced.

The department said in August that engineers were working on a revised plan for the area around Weaver and Edgewood that would be ready in the last quarter of 2018.

But DOT's announcement Tuesday said consultations with city staffers identified "a desire for (a) high-level corridor study of Merrimon to determine how other facilities such as sidewalks, medians, and bike lanes should be considered."

One of the main criticisms of previous plans was that they would speed up automobile traffic and make walking or bicycling on or beside the road more dangerous. About 80 percent of the 418 people who made comments on the plan opposed it, the Citizen Times found in August.

City Council opposed the plan and city officials said in January 2018 that DOT had not consulted with city government or considered city plans that call for more facilities for pedestrians or bicycle riders in that area.

In its announcement Tuesday, DOT stressed that it made the decision to do a study with a wider scope in conjunction with city staffers.

The announcement quoted city Transportation Director Ken Putnam as saying the city and DOT "have a strong partnership and working relationship that we value very much. ... We look forward to our continued discussions regarding the Merrimon Avenue corridor as well as the many other planned and ongoing projects in the Asheville area."

Gibbs' comments suggested changes will help automobile traffic and those using other forms of transportation.

"Working with the city will help NCDOT provide the best possible facility to move traffic and accommodate the multimodal needs of the community," he said.

This breaking news story will be updated.

