Gov. Bev Perdue came to Mint Hill Tuesday to tout a federal stimulus road project that will resurface N.C. 218, at a cost of $17 million. But she made news when she said construction on the last segment of Interstate 485 will begin by the end of the year.
"I want to cut that ribbon on 485," Perdue said.
Perdue and Transportation Secretary Gene Conti said they'll probably use stimulus money to get the project started. Considering the Charlotte area only has $30-$35 million left to spend in stimulus funds, it's not clear where the state will find the rest of the money to finish the loop, which will cost $210 million.
Said Conti, cryptically: "We have a plan."
Conti didn't spell out how Raleigh will pay for the outerbelt.
But the most likely scenario is that money that had been dedicated for the Monroe Bypass/Connector will be switched to the loop.
The local N.C. Department of Transportation office has been socking away money to help build the bypass around Monroe, which is planned as a toll road. Division 10 of the N.C. DOT currently has $180 million in the bank.
When the General Assembly agreed last year to help pay for the Monroe Bypass/Connector and other toll projects, that freed up the $180 million. Now it looks like that money will be directed to the outerbelt.
"I think that's the feather in the cap," said Barry Moose, the DOT division engineer for the Charlotte area.
The last segment of I-485 isn't scheduled to begin construction until 2015.
If construction started in 2009, the state could build much of the five-mile road quickly. That is expected to cost $122 million. The challenge is designed a $100 million spaghetti bowl interchange with I-85 near Concord Mills Mall.
David Joyner, executive director of the N.C. Turnpike Authority, said he supports a plan to speed up construction of I-485. He said the Monroe Connector/Bypass is still on schedule for a 2013 opening, and that the financing from the legislature will free up that money.
Joyner's only concern is that the state doesn't spend all of the $180 million because the Monroe project might need extra money after construction begins.
"The numbers can change all the time," Joyner said.
Posts
obat ambeien cair
8 years ago
96 comments:
So will Gov. Perdue also find a way to finish I-540 around Raleigh? As a resident of both locations 540 is equally as important as 485. Now the loop around Fayetteville.....not so much.
Talk is CHEAP.
THANK YOU GOVERNOR PERDUE!!!
Best news I have heard all week!
Thank you!
Governor Perdue made a statement during her campaign that "Charlotte would not get money." I did not vote for her and do not advocate that she is the right person to represent this state as Governor. In fact, she is "NOT" the right person. If you look at the road system around Raleigh, you can see clearly where all the money has gone and will continue to go. Charlotte is much larger and needs updated roads desperately. I hope McCrory and others will keep the pressure on her to do what is right, which I doubt seriously she will do. I am sorry, but I do not trust her and her campaign was riddled with facrications of the truth and out- and-out lies about what she would do if elected. We all need to wake up and watch her actions closely. Possibly down the road we could call for impeachment ! ! ! Very concerned Charlotte citizen.
Its about time someone had common sense about that I-485 who in their right mond would not finish that freeway ; Every town I have ever lived in had a full ,finished freeway. THERE IS A GOD
Finishing 485 should be a high priority, but I hate that the Monroe bypass seems to be once again getting the shaft. That road is important and could expedite travel to a part of the state (Anson-Robeson) that could really use a boost in economic development.
By not finishing I-485 you may as well put a stake through Charlotte heart. Any city who thinks they will be WORLD CLASS without a finished freeway probably still believes in SANTA CLAUS.
woah - P-A-R-A-N-O-I-D.
I'll believe it when I see it!
I'll believe it when I see it.
Monroe, Where's that ?
Lets face it Im not sure it will save Charlotte now but if we can keep the Banks going we may have a chance someday to put People back to work; I think this new Governor is going to be an ass kicker about time someone got the work done here. She can even use Prison labor to help with the roads I would not complain.
I hope the Charlotte Observer got this on tape!!! We'll need to hear this again when she runs for re-election in 2012. My guess is 485 will look like it does today and for some reason Hwy 218 will be resurfaced instead.
So a mouthpiece of the Raleigh machine that has siphoned tax dollars from charlotte for decades to pay for other state roads projects in eastern NC will get credit for finishing 485? by simply funding the project with the added taxpayer burden of the stimulus package? wow. what leadership.
Finishing 485 should certainly be the priority but to answer Matt's concern, the article doesn't say anything about the Monroe bypass being put on hold for this project... actually quite the opposite. The funding for finishing 485 was on hold until other funding for Monroe was found. The article only stated that it was unclear when the state could begin the contruction that has already been funded in Monroe... probably due to things like environmental impact studies.
The reality is that Charlotte got repeatedly screwed on funding for the completion of 485 which is now at least 10 years overdue and was going to be delayed another 6 years! This should've been the first project announced.
I told City Leaders of Charlotte over six years ago they really need to finish the Outerbelt if they want COMPANIES TO come here and set up ; It may be to late but at least they can make a retirement town . No more Real estate moguls telling People to come here with two nickels to rub together. We need People here that have entitlements or wallets that are free to spend. No more Families coming here with four kids and a beat up Hyundai looking for welfare ; Its simply not going to happen. To many People I see coming here looking for economic relief WHO in the told them this grand lie!
Lets face it I-485 is really only ONE LANE . Yes, a highweay patrolman told me that the on ramp or merge lane is not considered a lane at all. So Charlotte only has one lane around its OUTERBELT.
Finally!!! I cannot believe that Charlotte has not had a beltline long before now. And I am really tired of everyone blaming it on Raleigh. The blame lies squarely with the "City Planners" of Charlotte. I use the term loosely since they rarely seem to "Plan" anything, they just hear an idea they like and say okay lets go with the new shopping center or the 10 new developments down this tiny 2 lane road, we will worry about the roads and infrastructure later.
Another thing that needs done and no one in CHARLOTTE is aware of it yet! But most freeways have a criss cross running or an x in the center of the outbelt that would be Independence and the other would be I-85. One day all the business on Independence will be cut short because of this. who tried to design this town?
anonymous 3:50
Was there a point in your post?
Certainly not any grammar.
Not finishing the I-485 was like not finishing a college degree or high school ; This town has suffered a great deal because of it and now that the BANKS are toast RALEIGH is really a bteer quality of life People; It looks better , its not as run down as CHARLOTTE ; Ill tell you some parts of Charlotte are really getting degraded. I know a place where they have tons of name brand Hotels and I would never stay in them even when I was just passing though. There ,toast , who will stay in these they may as well turn them into HOMELESS shelters with security.
Anonymous 3:52, I assume you live in the southeast section, since that is the only underbuilt portion of the beltway.
You might try driving the rest of it sometime. It's an important road and needs to be finished. The issue in the southeast was strictly the fault of the county commission who said they wouldn't allow development along it and then did.
West side of town always was bad and then the NORTH SIDE got hurt from to much housing and then the EASTSIDE the final frontier. Next is MINT HILL MATTHEWS and then they will take BALLANTYNE; Yes it can happen People Ive seen it done in COLUMBUS , OHio
The rich used to live in these houses then next thing you know CRACK CITY.
Anonymous 3:59,
Your city envy is showing.
Bev
Put the money where your mouth is.
NOW.
All the WHITE People and good Blacks start giving their houses away to criminals to get away and next thing you know ; WHITE flight starts and the fun begins. Its like MUSICAL HOUSE People start running in fear of crime and thenHouses start dropping to ten cents on the dollar . Thats why crime must be curtailed. Crime drops housing worse than any recession ever has.
Anonymous 4:01, again, was there a point to your post? What do your comments have to do with the story on 485?
um..i disagree ith the poster that sys an outerbeltwill help make charotte world class...that mentality in its self is actually anti-world class.
Having said that, the state needs to start 85 in Cabarrus at the same time. Its alread a death tunnel through the county. Why Rowan has 4 lanes and Cabarrus doesnt is beyond me..
Im glad 45 will start in the fall...long overdue
Yes, I lived on the edge of the Ghetto and once I had to live in the ghetto t make ends meet; Ill tell you you forget about your car outside , you dont even car about your car . The only thing youre concerned about is having a gang bust into your house while your there. they robb you smack you around and and you'll give them your wallet. I had youths climb up between two house three stories to get me . The houses were built so close you could see into the other person house. The shimmy up the walls to get to your floor.
This is all thanks to the fact McCrory ran against her and should've won(he beat her by 15% on Election Day, the Early Obama vote is what won it for her. She is worried about that wave not showing up next time around.
again, Thank Pat McCrory for this. Charlotte would've got ALOT MORE and not get screwed the Way it does had he won of course.
If you can't stay on topic, find somewhere else to post!
If we dont more cops like the CHIEF wants we could all be in danger; We need more police we have organized crime that just got in here and they want muscle us out. Bodies will start being found at all undeveloped construction spots just like in NEW YORK before all the buildings were built. I had a Homocide detective come to Charlotte and he used to walk over MOBSTERS bodies everyday in a GANGSTER GRAVEYARD , an old parking lot. I look for Bodies to be found for years to come hit by the mob.
Anonymous 4:01,
The cleaners called, your sheet is ready for pickup.
As soon as they start digging for the OUTERBELT I predict a body will be found out that way ; We had the same thing happen when our neighborhood was built; Skeletons were all over the place that used to be woods. A young girl that was missing was found in a ditch near a farmers fence. REDRUM REDRUM REDRUM
I can't believe how fast you bigots went from building an outerloop to rascist rants about crime!
They've got meds for people who can't string a coherent string of related thoughts together.
Seriously, get help... before it's too late. So much hatred pent up... you're only hurting yourselves.
John THANK YOU....I THOUGHT I WAS SEEING THINS WRONG. THEY NEED MUCH HELP AND MUCH PRAYER.
Not to fear, we have Anthony Foxx potentially our next straight ticket Democratic vote driven Mayor that will fight for our Mecklenberg County deserved funds that have been denied for so long.... Yeah right!! He wants Mayor Pat to just accept the Obomination plan to give and take away from our projects...
Don't even get me started about I-540! When Charlotte's first true outer-belt is complete then Raleigh can complete their Second Outer Belt.
I-540 is not as important as I-485, that's fact. It's not as used as 485 is, plus Raleigh has a pretty decent sized beltway already, and is well into their second one. And before you say anything about I-277 in Charlotte, it hardly compares to the loop size of 440 in Raleigh.
@3:26 - Finally, some GOOD words coming out of Perdue's mouth. Charlotte is significantly larger than Raleigh, and it's nice that money will finally be spent in the order that it should be.
Good news. Let's take the new gov. at her word. This is an important project for the future growth of the region.
This is very good news. However, judging by most of the comments on here Charlotte is full of a bunch of stupid people . Charlotte is going downhill? Charlotte is turning into a ghetto? What the HELL are you talking about? Are you on drugs or do you need glasses? I am very confused and I am not sure what any of that has to do with completing 485.
I can't believe all these stupid comments against the Governor. She is hired a new transportation secretary with a lot more experience in the field, says road money will now be allocated based on DATA, and announced that 485 is a priority and will begin construction by the end of the year. Why don't you give the woman a chance before you start talking crap about her! It seems to me that she is atleast trying and doing a much better job than Sleasley!
If you hate NC and Charlotte so much, move to SC. You'll get that great republican leadership it seems so many of you thirst for. One of the highest Unemployment rate in the country, senators that go to the media when they have no idea what there talking about and causing a 3% drop in the stock market in one day. And you wont have to worry about not getting the money for roads, becuase the SC Governer said he doesnt want any money to help rebuild his state. Sounds like exactly what you people want. LEADERS WHO DO NOTHING BUT LIVE OFF TAXPAYER DOLLARS.
HAHAHA. I loved your post toomanycrybabies! You forgot to mention how horrible the education system is in SC. Besides Fort Mill schools, it is one of the worst in the country. I wish all of these loonies would just move to SC and leave NC alone. SC is already a trailer park dump. The only thing that saves SC is the coast.
Dont forget about the great law enforcement in good ole SC too. The sheriff in Richland County preformed 8 Swat Style Drugs Raids to get one guy for simple possesion of marijuana. And too top it off, he didnt even catch the guy. Talk about wasteful taxpayer spending. I would like to see the bill for that costly operation that produced no results. But hey, SC dosent need any help, they got everything under control.
I don't think anyone understands that this means we lose out on loop funds. This is $150M that other cities (i.e. Fayetteville) will get to spend on their loop. The money that was going to pay for the completion of I-485 cannot be used for any other purpose except for a loop, and since this is the last leg of 485, the money will go to another city. This means that the bypass for 74 will need to be funded another way.
This is not a good deal for Charlotte.
First of all Hwy 218 is the Monroe Bypass.
Second of all, when I485 is finally complete, the barrels will go up to widen it...so we get screwed either way.
Third, Purdue will end up doing time...she is too corrupt, no way she survives having this much power and not using it for her own interest. No way.
HOW ABOUT NEW LIGHTS, LINES, AND REFLECTORS FOR OUR DANGEROUS INTERSTATES AND FREEWAYS? Will we see an improvement to existing stretches of I-85, I-77, and I-277/Brookshire?
YES PLEASE USE THE STIMULUS MONEY TO FIX ALL THE BROKEN LIGHTS ON OUR HIGHWAYS!
The Monroe Bypass is stupid. Why do they need to build a NEW road? We have the infrastructure in place it just needs to be upgraded. Upgrade 74 from Sharon Amity to the Monroe Mall and upgrade Old Charlotte Highway to two lanes on each side from 485 to Monroe (since it is an alternative to 74).
This state has more bypasses than anywhere I've ever seen and they're only building more by the day. What's even more unbelievable is part of NC's stimulus money is going to be used to start construction on a new bypass in Kinston! Kinston!? I'm not making this up, read it for yourself on the Raleigh News & Observer website. Bev has made some promising steps so far to clean up this corruption but this making sure that every dot on the map in eastern NC has a bypass stuff has got to end.
NC had a chance to elect an urban-oriented governor in November and we blew it thanks to mindless straight ticket voting. But, that's over and we must move on. I really think Bev is going to clean this stuff up but if I do hear that New Bern is new roads over cities in the Piedmont that desperately need them, I can't say I will be surprised.
I meant if New Bern is getting....
NCDOT are you listening???!!!!!
This is not a Raleigh vs Charlotte thing. This is an urban NC vs good-ole boy NC politics thing. Both Raleigh and Charlotte have been neglected over the years even though they're the ones keeping the rest of North Carolina afloat. Talk is cheap Bev. Make it happen!
Lets not even forget about the completion of the I-840 beltway around Greensboro. Greensboro needs that loop finished to handle the traffic the FedEx hub, Dell and HondaJet is going to bring to the area. Some of the money should also go to the planned I-274 beltway around Winston-Salem. There is more to the state than Charlotte and Raleigh.
I think Mrs. Perdue needs to think before she talks ... especially when sh talks about completion dates ..... she has no clue
yes the money should be focused on finishing Greensboro's outerbelt. screw Charlotte and Raleigh. They have been hogging state funds for decades. We have to prepare for NC's future. As the signs say on the highways Guilford County is "North Carolina's Future"
7:20, I hope you were being sarcastic.
7:35 lets see the Triad is well on its way to becoming the superior metro in this state. Winston-Salem is far ahead of Charlotte in research and technology with the nation's only downtown research park. (Piedmont Triad Research Park) both Greensboro and Winston-Salem beat Charlotte in buiding downtown ballparks. The Triad is superior to Charlotte in regards to higher education. Greensboro landed the mid-atlantic FedEx hub which helped attract a Dell computer factory to Winston-Salem, a Levano computer plant to Greensboro, a Honda jet factory that includes the world headquarters in Greensboro and the hub aint even open yet. Greensboro's research park is already under construction. The jobs are coming to the Triad while Charlotte will lose jobs as the banking industry falls. the infrastructure is being put in place as we speak for Greensboro being the supurior metro in the future. We have more interstate highways than any other city in the state (I-85,I-40,I-73/74,I-840 loop and I-785) Greensboro is well on its way to "arriving" high end retail has started coming here. Greensboro has a Brooks Brothers, the state's largest Apple Store just opened here laast week. Greensboro's downtown nightlife rivals Charlotte. Come to downtown Greensboro on an evening night during the weekend and you'll see what I mean. No I wasnt being sarcastic.
I-485 should have been finished years ago and the Monroe bypass still on track. Nobody realizes the intrastate importance of U.S. 74 and the Monroe bypass. Everyone in Charlotte just looks at it as leading to more sprawl. It is part of a direct link between the Port of Wilmington, Charlotte, Asheville, and the mid-west. Yet the fastest way from Wilmington to Asheville is to drive an extra 30 miles out of the way through Columbia, S.C. I-40 is even longer, and not to mention the congestion that already exists through the Triangle and Triad. Don't doom the Monroe bypass for the beltway which DOES induce sprawl and does little for the over-all economy of the state!
If you think the schools in NC are far superior to SC you are only kidding yourself. I attended public schools in both states and now have children that have attended schools in both states and there is not a dimes worth of difference especially when comparing schools in the metro areas. CMS itself is a joke.
AHAHAHAHAHAHA. Greensboro nightlife DOES NOT rival Charlotte's. We have more bars, restaurants, an arena, a football stadium, new museums, a movie theater, and a bowling alley. What does Greensboro have other than a few bars and restaurants? Not to mention Charlotte has far more people living downtown.
And yes, NC overall has a better school system than SC. NC is just a better state in general. We are wealthier, more populated, and more educated.
To the dude commenting on the G-boro night life compared to CLT, what's he smoking, come on now
lol have any of you recently been to downtown Greensboro at night? bumper to bumper traffic, thousands people out on the streets after 1 am. youd think it was a festival going on. At least Greensboro was able to build a downtown baseball stadium and it was done with private money. How much money is Charlotte draining from its taxpayers to build their stadium? Yea Charlotte has more people living downtown, But Greensboro downtown population is growing. The grand opening of a luxury condo tower in downtown Greensboro is just days away.
I've lived in Charlotte for 35 years and I certainly agree that this city has been underfunded by the state for roads during all of those 35 years. But when I go to RTP, Durham, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, I see traffic that is equally as bad and in some cases (RTP) worse than Charlotte. Go figure...
if you look at the stimulous package it seems that there are more projects in Wake and Durham county being funded than anywhere else.
I'm a native of this area, and here's what you really need to know:
1) Give Bev Perdue a chance to make good on the promise of starting the construction on the last leg of I-485 this year. If that happens, I won't be a member of AARP when the entire beltway is complete.
2) I-540 will not only be finished around Raleigh, but the number will be retired when it is done. It'll become I-640, which means all the even-numbered circumferential numbers for I-40 will be used up.
3) Greensboro is the most important city in North Carolina, roadwise. Greensboro can, in fact, be the subject of its own Six Degrees game--as it, how is Road X six degrees from a major road that runs through Greensboro? It has a major transcontinental highway (I-40), a major regional highway (I-85), and has a bevy of US and NC highways leading all over the state. And some of the best money ever spent was moving I-85 off of Preddy Boulevard onto Painter Boulevard, the new Greensboro Urban Loop. No more Death Valley.
4) The next two road projects that need to be done are the widening of I-85 through Cabarrus County and Rowan County (Exits 49 to 68) and from Spencer to Lexington (Exits 81 to 87), which would include rebuilding the Yadkin River bridge. Honestly, every time I cross that bridge, I think of the movie "The Cassandra Crossing".
Greensboro shouldn't complain too much. Yea Charlotte and Raleigh reap benifits from state DOT funds over the years, but look haw far Greensboro has come a long way over the past decade in terms of highways, There is a big section of I-40 in west Greensboro that has 10 lanes (5 lanes in each direction). It looks like you are driving through Atlanta. I remember when it was just two lanes in each direction all the way to Winston-Salem. In addition to the 10 lane mega highway in west Greensboro, there is an 8 lane bypass to that mega lane highway. Greensboro has more than enough highway to get the city through the next 30 years.
Perdue should refuse the stimulus money like Sanford.
well call me a pessimist but when the road is finished -- then i will be thankful. and why is it that we are thanking Bev? for years she has thumbed her nose at Charlotte and anything to help this city -- guess now she realizes she needs us eh?
"The grand opening of a luxury condo tower in downtown Greensboro is just days away."
WOO HOO! You got one luxury condo tower in Greensboro! And guess what? It is a former office building converted to condos. It isn't even a new building. How many residential high-rises does Charlotte have? A hell of a lot more urban residences than Greensboro. If you want to play that game, Charlotte has a NEW 50 story luxury condo tower under construction. Sorry, you obviously haven't been to downtown Charlotte because it is a lot more vibrant than Greensboro and there is much more variety of places to go to. You have got to be smoking some serious crack if you think Greensboro has BETTER nightlife than here.
"Perdue should refuse the stimulus money like Sanford."
HELL NO. Sanford is a Republican idiot. We will just take the money SC doesn't want and we will benefit.
It's AMAZING how negative and synical folks are. Give credit to the fact that the Governor has made this important move.
And the banks are not TOAST. Get behind them and they will rise again (and others will move here for our people resources). A little positive please!
Pfffph. This NC v. SC stuff is a crock. It's like having a 10th grade dropout lecture a 9th grade dropout.
NC is a "better state"? Show some reality and humility. Last I ventured out, both have plenty of undereducated, insular and racist boneheads of many skin colors...and might I add NC naturally has MORE of them since the state is physically larger and population-wise?
Plus, remember that NC has the glistening gem of Gastonia.
To the person repping Greensboro: nobody is arguing that Greensboro isn't important! It is! Greensboro and the Triad is an economic engine in NC just like Charlotte and the Triangle. It needs to be taken care of too! I think everyone can agree that the ALL three of the major metro areas of North Carolina have gotten shafted lately while pet projects have been funded in, well lets be honest, the eastern part of the state (i.e. the Global Transpork in Kinston). I just think everyone in NC would like to see some common sense by our Department of Transportation. As for the Greensboro vs Charlotte vs Raleigh thing, we shouldn't fight with eachother because we're all in the same boat together! We are progressive urban areas in a state that has always been controlled by good-ole-boy politics.
oh lord dont even talk about that transpark in Kinston! What the hell were lawmakers thinking spending millions of our tax dollars on that? Ironically the FedEx Hub in Greensboro will be serving that purpose. Why the hell would they build a tranpark in an area that far away from interstate highways, now work force or infrastructure?
last I heard weeds and grass are now growing through the cracks of the runway at the Global Transpark. What a waste of money. Think how many roads that money could have built.
10:30...i dont think the person said Greensboro has a better nightlife than Charlotte, the person said it rivals Charlotte. I really could give a rats ass which city has more condo towers or which city has more night clubs because it doesnt make a city better or worse.
personally I think each big city in NC has unique qualities that make them better in their own right. People live in these cities for a reason. Bigger doesnt mean better or more important and bigger doesnt mean a city deserves more support from the state.
to defend the guy repping Greensboro, the city has been think very ambitiously. As far as the office building that was converted to a condo tower, you might as well say its a brand new building because they literally stripped that building to its steel frame. If im not mistaken there is a 22-story condo/office tower being proposed in Greensboro near the airport at the intersection of I-40 and hwy 68 (www.triadtower.com). It suppose to have a restaurant and public observation deck on the top where you can watch the planes take off.
about a year and a half ago there was an ambitious $300 plus million downtown mega project proposal in Greensboro that included several high-rise buildings, a 4 star 20-story convention hotel with shopping court, 18-story office/residential building, an entertainment complex with rides, bowling alley, skating rink, mutli-plex theater, IMAX theater, restaurants and a 1,500 seat restaurant/music venue. The project was being put together by a local developer, an Orlando Florida development company and involved international investors. The project would have been much larger than the EpiCentre in Charlotte. In fact the largest version of the project would have taken several city blocks and it would have been a regional attraction drawing people 2 hours away by car. But the bad ecnomomy and trouble securing all the land for the sprawling development caused it to fall through. The point is that All of North Carolina's urban center have great potential. They are located on one of the hottest interstate corridors in the nation.
This article fails to mention that Bev gave Fayettenam $63.4 million to start the next phase of the loop that actually isn't needed in that town. Read it for yourselves: http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=319503
I have a few things to say. First, thats the best joke i have heard in a long (and I mean long time). I will beleive it when I see it.
Second, I85 needs to be widened through cabarrus county first, or we are going to have the same mess that exists on I77 North of I485 in Huntersville times 10. That stretch of 85 is already a mess imagine when the giant "spaghetti bowl" plus the existing traffic on I85 North.
Thrid, Finishing I485, while now necessary because it will form a bypass for I85, will not help Charlotte be world class. It will make us just like Columbus or Atlanta- we'll have a loop- big woop. In Columbus' case it lead to urban decay, in Atlanta's it led to massive sprawl. What will make Charlotte world class is changing the land use patterns and increasing density around mass transit corridors and centers. Failure to do so makes us just like every other medicore mid- sized American city.
All of our state's largest cities have something special for everyone: Why all of the "My shoe is bigger than yours" kind of bickering posted throughout this part of the blog? Greensboro and Winston-Salem are both seeing new population growth in their downtowns, but the fact is that neither city can - for the moment - hold a candle to the more-rapidly growing Uptown in Charlotte. And add to this the fact that Charlotte is the only North Carolina city with an operating public light-rail system. I live in the Triad, and respect the people of Charlotte and their town; the city is not a threat to me. We are all North Carolinians, so may we all embrace the differences within each of our urban areas, which give our state its personality and flavor. As for the 485 outerbelt and other urban road projects in our state, something really has to be done to correct the uneven funding and delayed schedules.
And to add to Jay H's comment concerning the effect of the outerloop on Charlotte's urban growth patterns: I believe that it will contribute greatly to urban sprawl, since Charlotte is in the Sunbelt region, where cities tend to gobble up surrounding land.... Just my two Euros.
I really think the best thing we can do is build toll booths at the state line on every road leading from Virginia, and toll booths at all airports. Anyone traveling from north of Virginia should be required to pay a $10,000 bond that will be revoked if they do not leave NC within 30 days.
Mean ain't I. Just seems things around here have gone downhill since the invasion from the north. I think we'd be just fine without all their advice. If they did it so well where you came from, then why don't you go back?
OK me yankee amigos....let me have your whining. I really care.
What about the almost forgotten hwy 16 bypass to Hickory?
I think I-85 through Cabarrus and part of Rowan county, and the Yadkin River Bridge, need the most attention. I hope that we have positive changes come about on I-485 as well.
Posted by Disgusted:
Talk is CHEAP.
February 24, 2009 3:28 PM
That depends on who's talking.
Governors and Presidents words can be very expensive, oh ye of little intelligence.
Whats a Levano computer?
We all need to wake up and watch her actions closely. Possibly down the road we could call for impeachment.
heavy equipment parts
Hi, well be sensible, well-all described
this post really very good and effective for me thanks for sharing this nice post
I liked this blog, i think is very interesting, most of all for the new ideas that this blog talk.
Post a Comment