After a 'hard 6 months,' Swannanoa River Road businesses and locals celebrate road repair

ASHEVILLE - It was thing "from above" that saved LaRumba Restaurant Latino from Tropical Storm Helene's floodwaters connected Sept. 27, Reynaldo Macario said. Now, it whitethorn beryllium the N.C. Department of Transportation that helps gets the concern "back connected track."

For the past sixth months, the superior entree constituent to Macario's edifice on the Swannanoa River, which helium co-owns with Luis Rodriguez, has been closed. The intersection astatine South Tunnel Road and Swannanoa River Road connecting to Wood Avenue, a captious corridor betwixt Oakley and the remainder of Asheville, reopened April 4 aft repairs from NCDOT. With the reopening, each of Swannanoa River Road volition present beryllium unfastened to nationalist travel.

The roadworthy had been reduced to rubble during Helene. Most of the asphalt paving had been washed retired arsenic the Swannanoa River rushed implicit the road, cresting astatine implicit 27 feet adjacent Biltmore Village. Residents from adjacent neighborhoods walked done the remnants successful a daze arsenic the remains of Aldi nutrient and respective U-Haul trucks were scattered crossed the area. Two monolithic cargo containers were wedged into the broadside of the Wood Avenue Bridge.

With caller paving, 3 caller pedestrian crosswalks and filled potholes, the conception of Swannanoa River Road reopened April 4. In the day earlier the reopening, which was announced by NCDOT connected April 3, funny drivers were making their mode down to the intersection adjacent the Lowes and inactive uncovering roadworthy closed signs. Some drove astir them, toward LaRumba.

While the full outgo of repairing each of Swannanoa River Road person not been finalized, repairs to the intersection were estimated astatine astir $950,000, NCDOT spokesperson Aaron Moody said. The estimation does not see hours enactment successful by attraction crews oregon the stone, guardrails and caller signals installed connected the road.

The rebuild required engineers to commencement "from scratch." The reopening of the intersection comes aft different information of the roadworthy was reopened successful January, allowing residents to question adjacent the Western North Carolina Nature Center.

“You’re not conscionable looking astatine roadway items, but each the utilities similar h2o lines, overhead cables, postulation signals. Everything was damaged," said Paul Roberts, NCDOT Buncombe County Maintenance Engineer, successful an April 3 quality merchandise connected the reopening. The bridge, which was cluttered with debris aft the storm, did not spot "major damage," but repairs addressed abutment supports and the slabs connecting the roadway to the bridge, Moody said.

While immoderate businesses on the avenue person reopened, others are inactive trying to reconstruct their property. It is unclear if oregon erstwhile immoderate businesses, similar Asheville Beds and the adjacent Swannanoa River Road U-Haul, volition reopen. For those that have, the roadworthy closure has redirected postulation and forced drivers to debar the area. On immoderate fixed day, 17,000 vehicles were estimated to question on the roadworthy earlier Helene, according to NCDOT data.

Traffic substantially increased, anticipation for improved business

Moody said the roadworthy closure accrued postulation on Fairview Road done Oakley accrued "substantially," turning the vicinity into a thoroughfare for astir businesses successful the area. Some businesses hardly escaped the flood.

While the adjacent Walgreens and Lowes were inundated by the flood, floodwaters came wrong feet of the doorway of the restaurant, Macario said. The gathering is little than 200 feet from the river.

What followed was a "hard six months." The concern reopened connected Oct. 18, 2024, but immoderate didn't cognize however to marque it to the edifice and others didn't cognize they were open, Marcario said. At the aforesaid time, section concern owners and restaurateurs faced 1 of the highest county-level unemployment rates successful the authorities of North Carolina.

For customers of LaRumba, wherever Macario dishes retired Southern Mexican cuisine, drinks and affable conversation, the reopening of the roadworthy means Fairview Road, done Oakley, is nary longer the lone way to the restaurant. Macario said helium owes LaRumba's survival, including being capable to support each 25 unit members, to dedicated locals.

Customers hustled successful and retired of the edifice connected April 4, passing by the barroom to say, "Hey Rey! How's it going?" oregon "Is the span unfastened yet?"

"If we didn't consciousness this Asheville love, we wouldn't person made it," Macario said. The edifice has adjacent adjusted its operating hours, present closing astatine 10 p.m. connected weekends, successful anticipation of accrued postulation on the road.

With the reopening postulation done Oakley could soon instrumentality to normal. It besides means easier entree to large retailers, including Target, Dick's Sporting Goods and furnishings stores.

"It's going to beryllium great," Macario said of the roadworthy reopening.

More: Mennonite, Lutheran, Amish collaboration to statesman rebuilding WNC bridges destroyed by Helene

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Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, portion of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him astatine [email protected] oregon connection will_hofmann.1 connected Signal. Consider supporting this benignant of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected Asheville Citizen Times: Helene-damaged Asheville roadworthy repaired, relieving section traffic, businesses