It may be more than three months away, but if you listen close, you can almost hear the collective groan of drivers as the orange cones appear in the distance.
No one enjoys navigating road construction, and Highlands is going to have a hefty share of it in 2021.
Plans are in place to mill and repave Main Street in the early spring, with all work being completed before Memorial Day weekend. The unofficial start to tourism season is a big one for Main Street businesses and all parties have an interest in the road being open and parking available over the holiday.
All outdoor projects in March and April are weather dependent, but it’s reasonable to assume that Main Street will be open for business and better than ever by May 21.
But the Main Street repaving part of the plan is only the beginning.
Contractors are also signed on to repave US 64 from Main Street to Buck Creek Road. That of course, is a much longer stretch of road than the five blocks of Main Street between 1st and 5th.
After US 64 is wrapped up it will be on to NC 28 from Main Street to Clear Creek Road, another much longer and more winding stretch of highway.
The second and third phases of the project will stretch into the summer and will undoubtedly create headaches for some motorists who drive those stretches every day. It will be important to keep calm, leave a little earlier, and be patient with the crews completing the work.
As anyone who has driven along Main Street recently can attest, it is time, and very possibly past time for the street to be resurfaced. Potholes and cracks that have been filled in over the years are to the point of needing a more lasting solution.
Having a newly paved Main Street, 4th Street and NC 28 will be a net positive for Highlands for hopefully many years into the future. We all just have to drive slowly and remember that the orange cones won’t last forever.