At the end of the Road to Nowhere : an analysis of the North Shore Road conflict in Swain County, North Carolina

An agreement among Swain County, the State of North Carolina, the Department of the Interior and the Tennessee Valley Authority was signed in 1943 as part of the Fontana Dam project. In this contract, it was agreed that the Department of the Interior would build a road connecting Bryson City (NC) to the Fontana Dam area. This would be done after World War II ended and as soon as Congress appropriated funds. To date, only 6.53 miles have been completed. The National Park Service has no plans to complete the road due to environmental and economic concerns. This road is referred to as the North Shore Road, or the Road to Nowhere by local residents.

Through the review of historical literature, this research identifies the stakeholders in the North Shore Road conflict. It also identifies the major issues which have prevented resolution. An additional purpose of the research was to review the method of principled negotiation used for conflict resolution, and the applicability of this method to the North Shore Road conflict.

It was concluded from the research that the primary stakeholders are the Swain County residents, the Swain County government, and the National Park Service. Other stakeholders include environmental organizations, state legislators, and Swain County interest groups. Several key issues hindering resolution of the conflict were identified as being environmental, economic, and values conflicts, among others. Finally, it was concluded that the principled negotiation method could be applied in this controversy because of its various benefits and lesser constraints.