In for a tune-up
Tuesday, October 30th, 2007
By Chris Fitzsimon
A new state panel should examine how transportation money is spent and how a rickety system should be overhauled
For too long the former Good Roads State has been anything but. Tar Heel travelers too often encounter delays and/or deteriorating roadways and bridges. Mass transit falls far below its potential. Alternatives to driving, such as bicycle commuting, are barely addressed. Cost estimates of fulfilling transportation needs are daunting.
Although many road projects are completed efficiently, snafus such as the twice-repaved section of Interstate 40 near Durham and Chapel Hill have come to symbolize Department of Transportation ineptness. There’s a widespread feeling that the job isn’t getting done, and that the road crew needs reshuffling.
Then there’s money. The DOT spends billions each year on highway construction and repairs, and no wonder. Due to a Depression-era takeover of county road maintenance by the legislature, North Carolina ranks second only to Texas in miles of state-maintained roads.
Major interstate arteries must be kept in shape to accommodate long-haul traffic. Add rapidly rising expenses to the mix — officials rightly note that asphalt, concrete and steel prices have gone up much faster than the revenues to pay for them — and it’s a formula for frustration in one of the nation’s fastest-growing, hardest-driving states.
From all quarters the pressure is on to find a better system, especially after the General Assembly this year failed to tackle the overriding transportation issues. (more…)
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