Today’s round of questions, my smart-aleck replies and the real answers:

Question: Why, if there is a 70 percent drop-off in tourism in Asheville, is the traffic so very intense? Roads are open. On a recent Sunday, I-26 was solid going north, as viewed from the Haywood bridge at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Haywood Road is backed up every day. Other places I’ve driven are the same — east Asheville, Montford. Seems even more 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 couple of months, but I think we can all agree the new normal sucks a little bit.

Real answer: I think it’s safe to say that anyone who lives around here has noticed the traffic congestion. I live down south, and I’ve endured it pretty much every day on I-26, Hendersonville Road and Airport Road.

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

Some areas are seeing more congestion, but others are experiencing about the same or in some cases, less, he said.

Uchiyama and NCDOT Division Engineer Tim Anderson offered updated statistics on road issues at the daily Buncombe County Helene update Nov. 26.

“NCDOT has reopened more than 1,100 roads since the storm, and we are reporting less than 270 closed across all of western North Carolina,” Uchiyama said. “As of last week, 8,795 locations were identified as damaged. That includes 813 bridges and 852 culverts.”

Buncombe County alone had 90 damaged bridges, and 27 will have to be replaced, Anderson said. 

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

Anderson spoke about Buncombe repair and recovery efforts specifically.

“Our NCDOT crews after the storm have identified nearly 2,000 damage sites within the county,” Anderson said. “Damage severity varies widely from a small site that may take half a day to repair to a major repair like a bridge replacement or a major slide. So our crews have kind of transitioned from stabilizing temporary access, moving into more long-term repairs.”

Obviously, closed roads cause motorists to take other routes, which can increase traffic. 

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

“As an example, NCDOT and its contractors had more than 120 dump trucks operating in Yancey County on a given day,” Uchiyama said. “Add in power crews, supply trucks, repair vehicles, private contractors, tree companies, and others — there are larger, slower vehicles on roads in areas impacted by Helene.”

One of the areas experiencing less congestion is I-40 west of Asheville, mainly because of the closure of the interstate in the Pigeon River Gorge, where the westbound roadway washed out. The NCDOT hopes to have that reopened in January with one lane in each direction.

I-240 east of Asheville has more congestion because of the closure of U.S. 70, including a bridge that was heavily damaged, and Swannanoa River Road, the NCDOT said.

“(On) the U.S. 70 bridge near exit 55, the concrete work is done,” Anderson said, noting the storm washed out much of the material beneath the bridge. “So we had to develop a repair that included concrete repair around those (pilings) to protect them.”

The contractors are now working on the backfill.

“Once the backfill is complete, then we’ll pave,” Anderson said. “Our goal is to have that road open — Highway 70 through that section — by the middle of December.”

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

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

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

But north of Asheville is 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 when the (Pigeon River) Gorge opens to one lane in each direction, hopefully, by New Year’s Day. And it will increase in Haywood County.” 

Another contributing factor to congestion has been 18-wheelers “attempting to take routes that are not designed for them,” Uchiyama said. “Once again, we ask that 18-wheelers stick to the approved routes.”

Anderson said the NCDOT is aware of the congestion around town.

“We’re going to optimize signalization in the area to try to alleviate some of those congestion concerns, but until we get a couple more of the roads open in the Asheville area, we will still experience that congestion,” Anderson said.

First Sgt. B.N. Burnette with the North Carolina Highway Patrol office in Asheville said the department has certainly noticed the traffic at its office, which is on Tunnel Road.

“You can’t go east on U.S. 70 past the bridge that’s closed, so that’s forced everybody that needs to go to Swannanoa to go by the office, to go up on I-240 that way,” Burnette said. “It’s just one of those situations where, when you’ve got so many people trying to get into one box, it takes a while to make that happen.”

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

“Anybody that has spent much time here at all knows how heavily that road is traveled in a day’s time,” Burnette said. “It’s just one of those situations that we’re going to deal with until DOT is able to get that work completed. They’ve done a great job since the storm, and they continue to do a great job.”

Question: The new county waste collection company, FCC Environmental, via a call to customer service, states that we will not be able to use our existing trash receptacles, including the bear carts. I’ve seen on the Buncombe County website where it says we can keep our bear carts. I’m not sure how that will happen, but regardless, are we really going to toss thousands of existing regular waste and recycling receptacles in the county dump?

My answer: I tell you, the bear lobby is strong in these parts.

Real answer: I asked Buncombe County spokesperson Lillian Govus about this at the Wednesday daily Helene briefing.

She gave a very emphatic answer to the query about trash bins going to the dump.

“Heck no,” Govus said.

She was also pretty strong about customers being able to continue to use their bear carts.

“So absolutely, you can use your bear carts,” Govus said. “Like everyone else who is setting up a business and hiring and establishing new employees, I’m afraid some people have gotten some wrong information from the call center. But if you have purchased a bear cart, you 100 percent can keep that bear cart. We will not 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 an absolutely unfair thing to ask of our community.”

Those carts run $320, according to FCC’s website, although you can rent them for $10 a month.

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

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

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

Those Waste Pro cans will not be going to the landfill.

“Those cans belong to Waste Pro, so Waste Pro is actually going to come collect those,” Govus said.

Waste Pro is still collecting garbage through Jan. 1 when its contract runs out, but it will just pick it up from the FCC cans.

Question: Is the word “potable” pronounced “pote-able” with a long “e,” or “pot-able,” as in you’re able to put it in a pot. I’ve heard it pronounced both ways by a lot of different people.

My answer: I kind of feel like this might open up the whole “Lee-cester/Lester” argument again about how to pronounce “Leicester.” It’s “Lester” by the way, like the city in England. Oh, here we go…

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

I will note that Merriam Webster’s online dictionary lists the punctuation as pō-tə-bəl, with the long “e.” And when you click the little pronunciation tab, the computerized speaker pronounced it the same way.

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

The esteemed Cambridge Dictionary, which is very British, also goes long “e.” 

Now, I’m not going to fight anybody on this, 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 OK to consume, so I understand how that may have evolved.

But if you’d like to fight me on this, or prove me wrong, go right ahead!

As long as afterward you agree potare with me at a local watering hole.

Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Got a question? Send it to John Boyle at jboyle@avlwatchdog.org or 828-337-0941. His Answer Man columns appear each Tuesday and Friday. The Watchdog’s local reporting during this crisis is made possible by donations from the community.  To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.

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