A lot of people have different opinions of the new road project and how it is affecting our area. Some positive and some negative. We can all agree that the road from the Jack’s Creek bridge at Riverside all the way to the Interstate in Madison County was much needed and will not only be a faster and safer road to travel, but will also be much more comfortable traveling with less curves and traffic to follow. My disappointment with the new road is mainly due to how it is coming through Burnsville and has been met with strong agreement by many local residents and visitors to our town. The change in the “look” of the town is becoming more evident on a daily basis and now I’m discovering that more businesses that I enjoy are probably going to close because of the new road being so “wide” that it is taking the businesses parking lots and making it impossible for the businesses to operate. I don’t understand why the road, or possibly the state’s “right-of-way” is narrow in some areas, but is so wide in others? It’s as though some residents and businesses were spared any damage whatsoever, but others have been so dramatically damaged that their properties are pretty much worthless now due to the “right-of-way” taking so much of their property. I’ve heard many rumors of various stores that may be closing by late Spring or mid Summer as the road will be either taking their “parking lots” or the store’s themselves. Does anyone know if the rumor is true that the owners of the Ingles supermarkets has bought the Roses shopping center and all of the surrounding stores in order to tear them all down and build a new superstore? Due to their locations, I’ve wondered if Pizza Hut, Napa Auto Parts, Styles Automotive and CVS will be affected by the new road so much that they may either close or move to a new location? There just isn’t enough room on the current road to make such a large road for such a small town. It is very sad that this has happened to such a nice town like Burnsville. I, like many of my neighbors, have always wanted a nice, new road to get to places faster and safer, but none of us wanted them to tear our town down in order to do it!