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Green light for toll road?

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MONROE, N.C. -- The North Carolina Turnpike Authority is moving forward with plans for a toll road from Matthews to Marshville, despite concerns that funding for finishing I-485 could threaten the project.

State officials began a series of public hearings Monday on the Monroe Bypass. The 21-mile toll road would serve as an alternate route to Highway 74. Research shows Highway 74 traffic is bad and getting worse as the population grows.  The stoplight-free route, the state estimates, would save commuters roughly 30 minutes.

“It’s the worst traffic, the worst highway I’ve ever been on,” commuter Derrick Grant said.

Even a homeowner who attended the public hearing because of concerns about his home being in the bypass right-of-way told us he supports the project. “I’m all for the road, I’m not against the road at all, I think we definitely need that road,” Tony Spierings said.

Construction on the Monroe project is set to begin fall 2010 with an estimated cost of more than $750 million to build it. The funding is a combination of bonds paid for by tolls, TIFIA federal loans, and other gap funding approved by the NC general assembly.

It is the state money that has some local officials worried about the project. N.C. Governor Bev Perdue surprised Mecklenburg leaders in February when she promised to expedite the $200 million road project, vowing to start construction by the end of 2009 and complete the outer loop by 2013, about five years ahead of the scheduled completion date.

Perdue has not offered any specifics on how the project will be funded. An announcement is expected at a meeting Wednesday of the Charlotte region’s transportation officials.

Lee Myers, chairman of the Mecklenburg Union Metropolitan Planning Organization, told Newschannel 36 April 30 that those options will likely include shifting money from other road projects in the region.

“We may have to make some very difficult decisions,” Myers told NewsChannel 36.

Projects which could be in jeopardy include the Monroe Bypass, additional lanes on Interstate 85 from Bruton Smith Boulevard to N.C. 73, and the widening of a 1.6-mile stretch of Independence Boulevard.

North Carolina Turnpike Authority representatives at a public hearing for the Monroe Bypass Monday said they believe their project is a go. Because of the toll funding, it relies less heavily on the state than some other projects in the region. “We're still doing everything we need to do to get the project ready to be financed and go to construction by the fall of next year,” project engineer Jennifer Harris said.

The current challenge for the Monroe Bypass is acquiring land to build the road. The exact route is not yet determined. More public hearings are scheduled for this week. Click ( http://www.mumpo.org/Monroe_Connector_Bypass.htm) for more information.