NCDOT sets permanent ramp closures for Asheville I-26 Connector project

NCDOT is permanently closing two key Asheville ramps this month, forcing drivers who use Riverside Drive and Hill Street to shift onto Broadway Street as construction advances on the I-26 Connector. The agency said the changes are needed to “safely advance construction activities” and will remain in place permanently.

The Riverside Drive entrance ramp to I-240/I-26 is set to close at 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 16, with drivers told to continue on Riverside Drive to Broadway Street to reach I-26 East. The I-240/I-26 off-ramp to Hill Street is scheduled to close at 9 p.m. Thursday, April 17, with a detour directing traffic to remain on I-26 to Exit 25 at Broadway Street, then loop back to Riverside Drive and Hill Street. A third ramp, the Patton Avenue eastbound connection to the Patton Avenue frontage road at Westgate Bridge, will close in early May; NCDOT said the exact date, time and detour will be announced later.

The closures are part of the larger I-26 Connector, a roughly 7-mile project that will convert the corridor into a median-divided freeway with interchange-only access and connect I-26 in southwest Asheville to U.S. 19/23/70 in northwest Asheville. NCDOT lists the work as STIP Project I-2513 and says it carries a price tag of about $1.8 billion. The project is split into five sections, including a section along Riverside Drive from Hill Street to Broadway Street and a north section that includes a new interchange at Patton Avenue.

That north section is also expected to move interstate traffic off the Capt. Jeff Bowen bridges, which now carry I-26 and I-240 over the French Broad River west of downtown. In 2024, NCDOT said those bridges do not meet interstate design standards and that the new structure will allow the Bowen bridges to handle local traffic, plus pedestrian and bicycle access to and from downtown.

The changes also reached Asheville Rides Transit. The city said routes WE1, WE2 and W5 will detour, and bus stop #154 at Hill Street and Riverside Drive will no longer be served. Riders are being directed to stop #311 at Atkinson Street and Hill Street, less than a quarter-mile away. Route N3 serves that stop every 30 minutes at :05 and :35 past the hour, with a transfer at the ART Station required to reach westbound routes.

Some commuters said they were bracing for longer trips and more congestion on Broadway Street. NCDOT has said Broadway Street will be the best route for access once the permanent ramp closures take effect, as the state continues rebuilding the downtown Asheville highway network around the new connector alignment.