The N.C. Zoo in Asheboro is a jewel in the Triad’s tourism industry, one that’s home to home to more than 1,600 animals — including baby chimpanzee Ebi, seen here — and features five miles of walking trails spread across two continent exhibit regions. The zoo is also poised to grow considerably during the next decade and a half. Click through this slideshow to see some of its inhabitants.
Several times a year, during special events or holiday weekends, the road to the N.C. Zoo backs up for several miles.
The wait on the two-lane N.C. 159 in Asheboro can amount to 90 minutes, making visitors irate enough to complain to zoo officials or on travel websites, the News Observer of Raleigh reports. The traffic jams, which happen six to eight times a year, are a problem for residents who live along the road, too.
State transportation officials are now looking for a way to build a connector road that would carry zoo visitors right to the main entrance. If they succeed, they’ll be fulfilling a promise made four decades ago, according to the News Observer.
Click through the slideshow above to see some of the animals that make the zoo so popular.
The N.C. Department of Transportation late last year unveiled a plan for a modified bypass that would be part of a $370 million U.S 64 Bypass project. But the plan would still have visitors drive on N.C. 159 for the last mile to the zoo.
Officials with the Department of Transportation and the zoo plan to meet to talk about whether there’s a better solution, the News Observer reports.
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