A proposed Boone bypass will likely be detoured for the immediate future because of state funding shortages, but it remains on the drawing board.

The bypass, which has been under consideration by the N.C. Department of Transportation since 2002, has been the subject of several public meetings held to review route alternatives.

The bypass was loosely designed to connect U.S. 421 east of Boone with Blowing Rock Road and eventually N.C. 105 southwest of Boone.

“The project can’t move forward until there’s funding,” said NCDOT project engineer Alena Cook, though it will remain part of region-wide planning discussions.

Local governments can also update their priority lists and transportation-improvement plans based on the new information, Cook said.

Eight main corridor alternatives have been proposed, along with a number of interchange or route options.

Four of those have been dropped because of environmental concerns, community impact or safety concerns, as well as a failure to meet the projects stated needs of reducing the amount of traffic near the downtown Boone area.

The four main corridors now under consideration are planned as four-lane highways with a median. The state would pursue a right-of-way of 300 feet through the corridor.

As described in the Pre-TIP (Transportation Improvement Plan) Study, Corridor 1 extends from U.S. 421/321, connects with an existing road (State Road 1107) for a short distance, and then intersects with U.S. 321/221 east of Boone near the U.S. 421/221 intersection.

Corridor 2 uses State Road 1107 from U.S. 421 to N.C. 105, then intersects U.S. 321 near Deerfield Road and connects to US 421.

Corridor 3 extends from U.S. 421/321 on a new route, intersecting with N.C. 105 and traveling near Jordan V. Cook Road to intersect with U.S. 421.

Corridor 4 follows Corridor 2 to the U.S. 321 intersection, but then travels further south before ending near the intersection of U.S. 421 and Old Highway 421 Road.

Comments made during public hearings centered around no-sprawl options that would inhibit commercial development along the bypass, use of existing roads or corridors where possible and expansion of transit options. Other concerns included maintaining community character and protecting natural resources and scenery.

The proposed routes range in cost from $95 million to $241 million, covering a highway distance of between 4.4 and 8.7 miles.

Traffic in the affected areas is expected to increase dramatically in the next 15 years, with a widening in King Street in Boone slated to begin next year.

Blowing Rock Road’s traffic is projected to increase from 20,000 vehicles per day in 2000 to 43,700 by 2020, and N.C. 105 near the current Watauga High School entrance is projected to carry nearly double its current daily total of 27,000 vehicle trips per day. Downtown Boone traffic is projected to grow from 12,000 vehicles per day to 19,400 in 2020.

The High Country Rural Planning Organization will likely discuss the project when it votes on road priorities for a seven-county region on Dec. 17.