INC NEWS - DOT carrying a grudge? (Herald-Sun letter)

[pat carstensen]

My understanding is that I-85 cost over-runs (a teeny tiny part of which is 
from noise walls and other mitigation we in Durham asked for, but mostly 
just they mis-budgeted) and similar problems in Wake County meant that we 
spent more than expected in last couple years.  So it is sort of legitimate 
that we get less $$ in next couple years.

My questions are:
* Are there things that are getting built in next 6 years that we need to 
push down -- do we have the right priority list?
* The federal government is (on many fronts) pushing their budget problems 
down to the states.  Last time I was paying attention, federal 
Transportation Bill for next 6 years is pretty generous (it has other 
problems, like "streamlining" on evaluating effects (-:) -- but I think it 
is a good question what $$ we will have after 2012, especially when we were 
already looking at needing to raise funds locally
* It would be real interesting to do an exercise of deciding how much 
transportation $$ we have to spend (including non-road stuff) and use that 
as a constraint to look at our future land use patterns

Regards, Pat Carstensen

>From: "Caleb Southern" <southernc at mindspring.com>
>Reply-To: southernc at mindspring.com
>To: <inc-list at DurhamINC.org>
>Subject: INC NEWS -  DOT carrying a grudge? (Herald-Sun letter)
>Date: Mon, 4 Apr 2005 08:21:42 -0400
>
>DOT carrying a grudge?
>Herald-Sun letter
>
>I was astonished to pick up the newspaper March 30 and read Ginny Skalski's
>article that the N.C. DOT is still dragging its heels on the East End
>Connector. Let's recap: The connector has been on the state's books since
>1959. It is supported, indeed requested, by an overwhelming majority of the
>city's citizen organizations. The city and county governments, as well as
>the Durham region MPO, all consider it the highest priority road project in
>the county. It will provide an alternate route for the dangerous 
>cut-through
>traffic that now plagues our urban neighborhoods. It will hasten 
>development
>in areas of the city that need it. It will encourage trips into downtown
>Durham, instead of through downtown Durham. So why is DOT so reluctant? Is
>DOT nursing a grudge because Durham citizens successfully lobbied against
>their pet Eno Drive project? And why is our appointed representative to the
>State Transportation Board so willing to let this project slide? Shouldn't
>DOT be serving the citizens?
>
>
>BARRY RAGIN
>DURHAM
>April 4, 2005
>The writer is president of the Duke Park Neighborhood Association.
>
>[For more information about the East End Connector, visit:
>www.DurhamLoop.org ]
>
>
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