Skip to main content

NCDOT - We'll finish the Charlotte Outer Loop by 2012 - Oh wait, we still have to buy land first though - and then there is that funding problem

Image
By
From the highway that never stops giving us something to write about - Interstate 485 in Charlotte - we have new news.

Earlier this year, newly elected Governor Beverly Perdue proclaimed that the final piece of construction of Interstate 485 would begin this year. This after a number of years of delays on completing the entire loop.

Well recently, NC Secretary of Transportation Gene Conti said that work will still begin on the final pieces of 485 this year and a 2012 completion date is still in the work. Well, not exactly. (It appears I need to bring back the picture of Lee Corso..."Not So Fast, My Friend!)

There are a few hurdles still left - first the state needs to spend $16 million in acquiring property for construction of the freeway. In fact, Conti concedes that actually construction - you know moving earth, clearing trees and what not - most likely won't begin this year.

In fact, he told Al Gardner of WBT-AM in Charlotte, "I don't think that we can start construction in this calendar year, but starting to acquire property is a way of getting going."

Yet, the promise is to have I-485 completed in 2012 - have they not forgotten that two years is almost the same amount of time that the last piece of 485 faced in just construction delays?

And skepticism isn't only found in this blog - Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory on the latest news on I-485 - "I don't see it in the cards. Actually, I think a promise was made a bit prematurely before a funding source was allowed."

And sooner rather than later - the truth comes out - unless they move funding from another Charlotte area projects - upgrading Independence Blvd. to a freeway, widening I-85 in Cabarrus County or construction of the Monroe Bypass. Which most likely won't happen - so in all honesty - financing won't be available until 2015. (Charlotte.com)

And speaking of funds, Charlotte is in jeopardy of losing federal funding for transportation - the reason? The Metro Charlotte area does not meet air quality standards - specifically ozone. The region may see transportation funding disappear as early as next year. (Charlotte.com)

So what does this mean - will we actually see I-485 completely finished by 2012 - I wouldn't bet the house on it.

For more reading:
$16 mil for land need to complete I-485 -The CLog - Creative Loafing
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New River Gorge National River Area To Become A National Park

By
Great news for those that enjoy National Parks, West Virginia's New River Gorge Region, or West Virginia tourism.  Included within the Fiscal Year 2021 Omnibus Appropriations Bill signed by President Trump last night (December 27th) is the New River Gorge Park and Preserve Designation Act.   The act will designate the existing New River National River and over 72,000 acres of land within it as a National Park and Preserve. The New River Gorge Bridge will continue to be the centerpiece of the new New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. (Adam Prince, 2007) The river and surrounding land, which was added to the National Park System in 1978, will be our 63rd National Park.   The designation preserves over 7,000 acres as a National Park.  This area will not allow any hunting.  The remaining 65,000 acres of the existing park will be designated as a preserve allowing hunting and fishing. The main attractions to the New River Gorge - whitewater rafting, camping, hiking, mountain bikin
Post a Comment
Read more

Douglas Memorial Bridge; the ruins of US Route 101 and the Redwood Highway over the Klamath River

By
Near the village of Klamath in southern Del Norte County, California sits the ruins of Douglas Memorial Bridge which once carried US Route 101 and the Redwood Highway over the Klamath River.  The Douglas Memorial Bridge was a arch concrete span which once crossed the Klamath River.  The Douglas Memorial Bridge was noted for it's unique grizzly bear statues which still adorn the remains of the structure.  Completed in 1926 the Douglas Memorial Bridge was the original alignment of US Route 101 ("US 101") and stood until it was destroyed by the Christmas Floods of 1964.  The Douglas Memorial Bridge is named in honor of G.H. Douglas who was a Assemblyman of the First District of California.  Below the Douglas Memorial Bridge can be seen during it's prime (courtesy bridgehunter ).  Part 1; the history of the Douglas Memorial Bridge The history of what would become US 101/Redwood Highway begins with the approval of the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act .  The First Stat
Post a Comment
Read more

The Great PA 48 Clearance Sale

By
It's not often that any department of transportation sells land it purchased.  They are usually in the business of acquiring land for right-of-way.  But in 1982, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation did exactly that.  Offering to buyers land it purchased just 15 years earlier for the never-built Route 48 Expressway. Background: The sale was a result of the 1970s cash crunch the PennDOT experienced.  Many projects were cut back, shelved, or eliminated.  The 'New 48', or the North-South Parkway, which was touted for nearly 20 years as a connection from the industrial Mon Valley to the Turnpike and Monroeville was one of the casualties. In the mid-late 1960s, movement to construct the new highway began with targeting a two-mile stretch of highway from the Route 48 intersection at Lincoln Way in White Oak to US 30 in North Versailles.  The plan was then to continue the highway northwards to Monroeville.  Extension south across the Youghiogheny River and to PA 51 would
Post a Comment
Read more