Town seeks public input on proposed South Ridgeway Avenue traffic pattern change

Planning department to host community meeting at Black Mountain Public Library

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
September 2, 2025

A community meeting regarding a proposal to convert South Ridgeway Avenue to a one-way southbound pattern will be held, Sept. 3, at the Black Mountain Public Library. Photo by Fred McCormick

A proposal to convert the traffic pattern along South Ridgeway Avenue from two lanes to a one-way southbound flow will be the subject of a public input session, from 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 3, at the Black Mountain Public Library. 

The community meeting, hosted by the Town of Black Mountain Planning Department, is open to the public. 

Initially recommended by town staff in April of 2023, the submitted plan would only allow vehicles to access the street from U.S. 70 and travel south, in the direction of its intersection with South Richardson Avenue. The change, according to staff, would allow the width of the road to be reduced and accommodate a pedestrian and bike lane.  

Data collected in a December of 2022 traffic study conducted by Traffic Planning and Design, Inc., and funded in partnership through the town and a pair of businesses on the southern end of the street, found that a southbound direction was the only viable option for a one-way conversion. The Asheville-based firm, which was asked to explore the possibility of converting the street to a one-way pattern, observed traffic at each intersection of South Ridgeway Avenue for 12 hours and patterns along surrounding roads for seven days, a TPD representative told the town council in 2023.

Changing the pattern would address safety concerns related to the curve at the southern end of the roadway, according to town staff, while nearly doubling the amount of traffic along Richardson Boulevard, where pedestrians entering or exiting the post office are common during business hours.

Converting the pattern on South Ridgeway Avenue would require the traffic light at Richardson Boulevard and U.S. 70 to accommodate the change.

Elected officials directed town staff to engage the public on the topic, following the first proposal. The recommendation was presented again in the town council’s regular meeting last August.

The upcoming community meeting, which will not include any official action regarding the proposed change, will allow public discussion of the traffic pattern analysis. Attendees will learn more about the specific changes proposed for the road and be given an opportunity to share their thoughts on the possible conversion.