Charlotte's Outerbelt / Outerloop

[dubone]

Well, to be fair, it is technically all delayed and scheduled by the local planning organization, MUMPO. However, they often must make the tough choices of pushing out expensive projects out to the future because the city and area are not allocated enough money by the state funding formula and the fact that they keep taking money out of the Highway Trust Fund. The formula, set up by the General Assembly, favors rural areas over cities.

So, it always becomes the obvious choice to delay projects like Independence and 485 to fund emergency needs or over runs on other projects.

However, the General Assembly needs to realize soon that by taking money out of the Trust Fund, and underfunding the city needs, they are not only failing to beat inflation on infrastructure needs of the present, but they creating a backlog for the future, and also failing to take advantage of the economic stimulus now. So, slower growth, higher cost of each project in the future, and more projects needed in the future.

I think they have banjos playing all the time in General Assembly.

[Miesian Corners]

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/new...on/13853020.htm

With all the press about cost overruns at transit projects, it is good to see press about how expensive 485 has become. $1.2 Billion is an extremely expensive project. It is interesting to consider how similar projects throughout the state are also that expensive.

Funny thing, I tried several times over the past year to get Dianne Whitacre (Dr Traffic) to do a story on what construction costs were doing to road building projects to counter balance the attack on LRT and its overruns. A year later, the Observer does a story and never brings up light rail.

[atlrvr]

Sure she brings up light rail....a day later with an article devoted to how people will have to add 40 seconds to their commute time because of light rail.

[ChiefJoJo]

I think they have banjos playing all the time in General Assembly.

What about the second most powerful man in NC, Jim Black? He is from Meck Co.

It's a complex issue, funding for roads. It will probably take Charlotte going to the voters again (like with transit in 98) to approve a local options tax so they can get legislative authority to enact a new tax or fee. Something's got to happen, and I know Charlotte's leaders don't want to wait years for the state to grant them authority to do something about the problem.

[dubone]

I am big time for a local option tax. That is the only way we can ensure that the money won't be spent outside of road needs in this area.

[RiverwoodCLT]

We voted on a tax on gas some years ago to go into the highway trust fund. This money was to go to our roads in NC. Over 3 Billion has been taken out of the Highway Trust Fund. This money could have gone a long way fixing road problems in NC.

As long as the law makers in Raleigh raid out trust fund, we will still be here waiting for projects that should have been done years ago.

All the large cities in NC from Wilmington to Asheville should hold the law maker to honor the tax payers wish.

[monsoon]

I am big time for a local option tax. That is the only way we can ensure that the money won't be spent outside of road needs in this area.

I would be opposed to a local tax to pay for state roads. This is double taxation and we should instead vote in a local delegation which will fight for our fair share of road taxes.

[dubone]

It's not really double taxation. The gas tax is currently funding general services outside of transportation. If and when they stop doing that they'd need to raise taxes anyway. At least with a local option tax the formula funds get starved of cash to pay general obligations, but the city/metro gets to keep all the proceeds of our locally collected tax.