On July 6, Veronica Carlson stood outside Asheville Kava X Coffee on Haywood Road and directed movers as they loaded her shop onto a truck. She had opened in May 2025 and turned the storefront next to Haywood Quick Stop into a 24/7 spot built around coffee, conversation and community events. Then an email from the state arrived. "I took the gamble," she told Mountain Xpress. "And the gamble ended up being shorter than I anticipated."
That email came from the North Carolina Department of Transportation. This fall the same agency has a second crew on Haywood Road. That crew works at night, milling and repaving two miles of the corridor and adding bike lanes, signalized crossings and new curb ramps. So one state agency is taking places away at the I-26 end of the road while it rebuilds the rest of the street for people on foot and on bikes. Whether you walk, bike or drive Haywood Road this fall, both projects shape your week.
The notices that came with 90 days
The I-26 Connector is a $1.8 billion, 7-mile highway project that has been debated and delayed since 1989. Construction is now underway and is expected to last through 2031. Demolition and utility work along Haywood Road were expected to speed up through the fall.
The hardest-hit building is the El Dorado at 504 Haywood Road. The building houses Haywood Famous, Desoto Lounge, Notch Collective and the owners' own antiques business, and its tenants have received notices to vacate ahead of demolition. Eva Rodriguez-Cué opened Haywood Famous, a Cuban coffee shop, in August 2024. In June an NCDOT email gave her 90 days to leave, which set her deadline at the end of September.
Desoto Lounge has been in the same narrow storefront since 2009, and its brunch is a big part of what it is. Co-owner Lisa Wagner said her group spent months looking for a new space. Finding parking, a patio and a central West Asheville location all in one place turned out to be close to impossible.
"This might be the end of it," Wagner says. "Which sucks for a lot of people — me, our regulars."
As of late September, no published report confirms a final day at 504 Haywood for either Desoto or Haywood Famous, and neither has announced a new address. Here is where the businesses in that reporting stand, based on what has been published.
| Business | Former spot | Status in the latest reporting |
|---|---|---|
| Haywood Famous | 504 Haywood Rd | Told to vacate by end of September; owner hopes to reopen in West Asheville in 2027 |
| Desoto Lounge | 504 Haywood Rd | Told to vacate; owners have not found a new location |
| Notch Collective | 504 Haywood Rd | Told to vacate |
| 474 Gallery Studio | Haywood Rd near Exit 2 | Moved to 49 Haywood Rd |
| Asheville Kava X Coffee | Next to Haywood Quick Stop | Left July 6; now selling at Space Cowboy Coffee, 1110 Patton Ave |
| Haywood Quick Stop | Haywood Rd near Exit 2 | Gone from the corridor; owner did not share plans |
| Fleetwood's | 496 Haywood Rd | Dropped from state acquisition in March; staying |
Carlson's business shows what one of these moves can look like. She and the owner of Earthling Coffee on Patton Avenue planned a rebranded shop called Space Cowboy Coffee. During the day it runs as a drive-thru coffee stop. In the evenings it becomes a place for kava, events and late-night gatherings. In mid-August, WLOS reported that Space Cowboy, at 1110 Patton Avenue, was carrying her drinks and kava, and that she was selling coffee there during the shop's off-hours. The two businesses plan to merge eventually. Carlson said NCDOT covered her move and that relocation benefits go up to $33,000.
Why one building goes and its neighbor stays
Fleetwood's sits at 496 Haywood Road, just down from the El Dorado. It is a bar, music venue and wedding chapel, co-owned by Christi and Simon Whiteley, who also own the El Dorado, and their partner Mary Kelly. When 828 News NOW asked about it in August, NCDOT said the answer is the road's new alignment. The revised right-of-way line and an overhead power easement now run into the El Dorado building. The alignment also touches the Fleetwood's property, but the building itself is not affected and can stay.
For Fleetwood's, staying brings its own problems. It was dropped from the acquisition plans in March, so it does not qualify for the state's relocation assistance. Whiteley said the venue expects to lose most of its parking. She also worries about noise, dust and security while nearby buildings sit empty waiting for demolition. "We're just like this neon light in the middle," she said. NCDOT spokesperson Stephanie Johnson said the agency will keep access to businesses open whenever it can, and that empty properties it acquires will be secured and monitored until they are torn down.
The bigger change at this end of the road is still a few years away. The Haywood Road bridge over I-26 will be torn down and replaced in two phases. Traffic stays on the old bridge until the first half of the new one is done, then shifts over so crews can remove the old span and finish the rest. NCDOT expects that work to start in 2028 and take about two years. Haywood Road stays open the whole time. NCDOT's project page lists January 2027 as the start of construction on the section between I-40 and Haywood Road. As of September 18, NCDOT said it had no more traffic shifts or closures scheduled.
One change has already affected regular drivers. The ramp from eastbound Patton Avenue onto Westgate Parkway closed permanently on August 2. The signed detour sends drivers onto I-240 West/I-26 East to the Haywood Road exit, then back on I-240 East/I-26 West to Exit 3B.
The other crew, working nights
The resurfacing project is a separate $7 million NCDOT job covering about two miles of Haywood Road, from Patton Avenue to Ridgelawn Road. Work started Sunday, August 9. Crews work 8 p.m. to 7 a.m., Sunday through Thursday nights, with nothing on Friday or Saturday nights. Lanes close on certain blocks during those overnight hours, and crews block on-street parking where needed so cars don't get towed.
The finished street will have:
- Bike lanes in both directions from Patton Avenue to Sulphur Springs
- Bike lanes in both directions from Richmond Avenue to Ridgelawn Road
- Better pedestrian crossings along the corridor, including signals and flashing crossing signs
- ADA-compliant curb ramps
NCDOT expects to finish in November, depending on the weather. Resident engineer Tom Veazey called it "routine milling and paving, but in a dense, urban environment." If you park on the street along the corridor, check the signs before you leave your car overnight early in the week.
The two projects meet near Exit 2. That's where the bike lanes start at the Patton Avenue end, and it's also where the El Dorado is waiting to be torn down. By Thanksgiving, the stretch from Sulphur Springs down to Patton should have new pavement and marked crossings, while a building that held some of its best-known storefronts sits empty.
What still has a date this fall
The weekly routines along the rest of the corridor haven't moved.
- West Asheville Tailgate Market, Tuesdays from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at 718 Haywood Road, through November 24. The market lists more than 45 vendors, live music every week and activities for kids.
- East-West Asheville Art Walk by Lamplight AVL, Friday, October 2, from 5 to 8 p.m. It's free, and participating spots include Lamplight Studios at 821 Haywood Road, Harvest Records, Nice Time Glass, Make Noise and Story Parlor.
- West AVL Street Market, Sunday, October 4, starting at 11 a.m. at Haywood Country Club, 662 Haywood Road. It's a pop-up with vintage goods, art, jewelry and rotating vendors.
- All-arts open mic at Story Parlor, Sunday, November 1, at 5:30 p.m. at 227 Haywood Road. It's free.
The art walk falls on a Friday and the street market on a Sunday, the start of the paving crews' week. The Tuesday market runs during the day, before the 8 p.m. crew start.
Getting down to the river
If your fall routine usually ends at the French Broad, here's where things stand. The City's Carrier Park page says the east side is open, including the picnic shelter, wetlands area, rolling lawn and parking lot. The Helene-damaged west side is still closed. That includes the playground, skating rink, lawn-bowling court, basketball and sand-volleyball courts, and the sports field. The French Broad River Greenway is open through the park. French Broad River Park is still closed because of storm damage, and the City has not given a reopening date.
The greenways have changed twice since summer. The Metropolitan Sewerage District reopened restored greenway sections along Lyman Street, Amboy Road and the west end of Carrier Park on July 6. In its September 25 update, MSD said the Lyman Street greenway will close for several months starting in October 2026 for pipe work, and pointed users to posted detours. If you walk or bike that route, plan on using the posted detour for several months.
If you own a home or land near Haywood Road and want a straight answer on what the connector timeline and the new bike lanes could mean for your block, the team at TFM Carolina can walk through it with you. We'll start with the NCDOT dates and your property lines.
