The Swannanoa River floodplains between South Tunnel Road and Biltmore Avenue and Hendersonville Road in Asheville experience frequent flooding resulting in closure of Swannanoa River Road, property damage, disruption of emergency service access, and increased wastewater treatment costs due to sanitary sewer overflows. Swannanoa River Road serves as the principal east-west corridor for emergency services and access to Mission Hospital and Mission Children’s Hospital. Golden LEAF flood mitigation grant funds will be used to evaluate the flood mitigation and flood damage reduction benefits of potential actions through hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, updating the Structure Inventory Database, developing a conceptual plan and feasibility analysis, and implementation cost estimates for the potential floodplain modifications. NCDOT State Transportation Improvement Program has allocated $48M for Swannanoa River Roadway corridor modernization in future years. The City will also pursue FEMA Flood Mitigation and Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities funding for buyouts and floodplain restoration. City and County Metropolitan Sewerage District capital improvement funds can be used for utility relocations in the corridor. Businesses and households in the area will benefit from this project.
