US Army Corps of Engineers nixes state plan for road tunneling under Appalachian Trail

In a case in which late news is better than no news, it has come to light that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has decided not to allow the North Carolina Transportation Department to build a four-lane highway beneath a stretch of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.

That decision, which actually was made back in October but just recently came to light, drew praise from the Southern Environmental Law Center and environmental groups. The highway, one of several sections in a large-scale road improvement project in the southern Appalachians deemed ‘Corridor K,’ was proposed to run beneath the A.T. via a 2,870-foot long tunnel.

The Corps cited a number of negative comments received about the Corridor K proposal in their decision, including those from local landowners, the general public, and multiple conservation groups throughout the Appalachian region. The Corps' ruling officially requires the NCDOT to consider improving the existing two-lane highway already present in the region as an alternative to the extensive construction associated with a new four-lane highway.

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