Skip to main content

I-485 Hot Potato - Who wants it?

Image
By

It's our favorite subject at the blog (ok so it's mine - Bob takes care of the I-73 debacle in Greensboro) - but it's another round of the Interstate 485 hot potato game!

This time folks at the Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Planning Organization (MUMPO) have basically told Governor Bev Perdue that they don't care about her campaign promise to complete the Interstate 485 loop, the plan to widen and upgrade Independence Blvd. will move forward.

This happened when again the NCDOT said that if the Independence project goes first, I-485 will be delayed.

MUMPO members would have none of that.

"I don't know why we should bite on this false choice,” said Charlotte Mayor Pro Tem Susan Burgess. “We need to finish Independence as we've been planning for 30 years."

Burgess compared the pressure from Raleigh is similar to "...asking a parent to choose their favorite child."

Weddington Mayor Nancy Anderson would have none of it either, "This is not an option really, just kind of a way to confuse the issue and cover up for the governor's promises that are being broken.”

With what appears to be deaf ears in Raleigh from the governor on the issue, and with no response from Raleigh from the governor's office from letters that MUMPO chairman Lee Myers on offering suggestions to build both I-485 and widen Independence by 2013, MUMPO appears to be standing firm on their priorities list. The list has the widening of Independence Blvd. as their top transportation priority in the region.

MUMPO will formally announce their decision in October.

Story Links:
Mayor: Governor should apologize for broken promises ---WCNC-TV w/video
I-485 completion would put Independence project on hold ---News 14 Carolina w/video

Commentary:

There really isn't much more to say, but the silence from Governor Perdue's office is deafening. All we are hearing from the NCDOT is the same story. If you decide to improve Independence, 485 will have to wait until at least 2015.

Is it me or is the NCDOT doing the dirty work for Aunt Bev?

Perdue, who made the promise during her successful 2008 run for Governor, has been silent throughout this issue the past few months. She made the promise in Charlotte while running against Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory. And surprisingly - to some but not myself - it certainly appears that either folks in Raleigh are ignorant to the issue, aren't willing to work through a solution to get both projects completed, or just really don't care.

Considering the Tar Heel state's history of West vs. East in politics - and the ongoing Charlotte vs. Raleigh squabbles, I have a feeling that the latter of the three is the most accurate.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rep. Sue Myrick's letter to Gov. Easley and Sect. Tippett published in Charlotte Observer

By
US. Representative Sue Myrick's (R-Charlotte) letter to North Carolina's Governor Mike Easley and NC Transportation Secretary Lyndo Tippett was published in the Friday, November 30th edition of the Charlotte Observer . Why are we delaying the completion of 1-485 in Charlotte again? I read in The Charlotte Observer how rising prices of materials are leading to the delay. Why didn't these same rising costs delay the loops in Fayetteville and Wilmington? Why are we building loops in Fayetteville and Wilmington before we complete the one in Charlotte? We were working on the one in Charlotte back when I was mayor. That was 20 years ago! ... Last I looked Charlotte was the largest city in the state. There seems to be no recognition of that fact in Raleigh. No recognition that we are at a standstill with traffic. No recognition that we have a traffic problem. Nor is there any recognition of the fact that the state DOT utterly botched up the southern leg of our yet to be completed ...
Post a Comment
Read more

New River Gorge National Park & Preserve - Sandstone Falls

By
The New River, which runs through New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, is best known for its dramatic rapids and whitewater adventures.  Those features begin at one of the river's widest points: Sandstone Falls. From the Sandstone Falls Boardwalk a look at just a small part of the falls. Though the vertical drop of roughly 20 feet is less than many other well-known waterfalls in the state, the falls' expanse, where the river approaches 1500 feet wide, makes Sandstone Falls impressive.   The Boardwalk Trail leads to a better vantage point of the overall falls. It is a great spot for photography, fishing, or laying out in the sun. Access to the falls is relatively easy: from Hinton, cross the New River on Highway 20, then turn right onto CR 26 and follow New River Road to the Sandstone Falls Parking Area. The Island Loop Trail is a short detour off the Boardwalk Trail and shows a quieter side of the area. At Sandstone Falls, you will find a variety of activities fr...
1 comment
Read more

I-90 in Albany, New York and the Berkshire Spur

By
Today's Albany Times Union has a segment in their weekly Getting There? column that explains some of the history behind how I-90 is designated in the Albany, NY area as well as the Berkshire Spur. The long and short of the article was that I-90 was originally designated on the unsigned portion of the Berkshire Spur, but as free I-90 was built, the designation was moved onto the free portion of road. Additionally, there were talks in 1999 between state and federal officials about the possibility of moving I-90 back onto the unsigned portion of the Berkshire Spur, while extending I-88 onto what we know as free I-90. There would have also had been an I-88/I-90 multiplex between Rotterdam and Albany as a result. http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=916307
Post a Comment
Read more