Project Update – Cedar Hill Road and Stream Stabilization Project
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The Town of Biltmore Forest Public Works Department has been working since mid-2021 on a significant capital project to stabilize approximately 400 linear feet of an unnamed tributary of Fourmile Creek that parallels Cedar Hill Road beginning just South of Hemlock Road. This stretch of creek is unstable and has significantly eroded its banks and is threatening the stability of Cedar Hill Drive and the parallel utilities in this area. Due to this public safety concern, the Town partnered with Jennings Environmental, a local stream restoration engineering company, to design and permit a natural stream restoration and stabilization project for this area.
Jennings Environmental completed its design and permitting activities in the summer of 2022, and contractors were invited to provide proposals to complete the project in October and November 2022. Baker Grading and Landscaping was the successful bidder for the work which began on the site in mid-May of 2023. The construction project is expected to cost approximately $275,000.
To stabilize the creek and road, the contractor will be moving the creek slightly east away from the road. This new alignment will be more natural in alignment and will have various rock structures in the creek bed and along the banks to control the slope and thus the water velocity, minimizing the potential for erosion and flood damage. The finished product is anticipated to be a very natural looking and, most importantly, stable stream alignment similar to the stream stabilization project completed in Greenwood Park last year.
Unfortunately, the execution of the project will require the removal of a substantial number of trees, which will alter the look of the site. However, the project also includes an extensive replanting plan to revegetate the project area. While the basic structural elements of the project are anticipated to be completed by the end of June, planting work will be performed in multiple phases through the end of the year.
The Town wishes to extend our thanks to the property owners at 2 Hemlock Road for their cooperation, as well as the additional upstream residents for allowing us the ability to utilize their property as a staging area while working on the project.
Plans can be viewed here should the public be interested in better understanding the technical elements of the work. Of course, you can always reach out to the Public Works Department at 828-274-3919, or publicworks@biltmoreforest.org with any specific questions or