INC NEWS - Gov Easley opposes Alexander Dr extension (Herald-Sun)

[John Schelp]

Easley opposes Alexander extension
Herald-Sun, 20 August 2005

Gov. Mike Easley has joined the critics of a state
budget provision that directs the state Department of
Transportation to extend T.W. Alexander Drive from
U.S. 70 to Leesville Road in Wake County. 

"We don't think this is the right way to go about road
planning," Easley spokeswoman Jill Lucas said on the
governor's behalf, lining him up behind Durham
officials who've said the budget provision undermines
the state's normal process for setting DOT's
construction plans and priorities. 

The governor's office weighed in Friday only minutes
after Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker said his government
might pull out of the public-private cost-sharing deal
backers of the extension are hoping will finance it. 

A May 10 offer by Raleigh's City Council to contribute
$1 million to the extension was contingent on the
state's promising that it wouldn't count the project
against the "equity formula" DOT uses to allot highway
money to rural and urban counties, Meeker said. 

But the budget provision directing DOT to extend
Alexander Drive specified that the money would count
against the formula, which means that other road
projects in the Triangle would suffer delays, Meeker
said. 

If that restriction stands, "I am not at all sure the
city is going to provide" its promised $1 million,
Meeker said. "We'll have to take a look at it, but
it's not consistent with what the agreement was." 

Significant discrepancy 

Meanwhile, DOT officials said a significant
discrepancy between the cost estimates offered by
proponents of the extension and by local road planners
is coming about because the planners want the project
to include a full-fledged interchange where Alexander
Drive crosses U.S. 70. 

The extension's backers -- a group of property owners
in the corridor led by a Texas developer -- don't
think an interchange is needed and believe the new
four-lane road can be built for as little as $6.2
million. 

But DOT officials don't agree with that assessment and
say that to do the job right, they need $37.5 million.


Because of existing and future development along U.S.
70 in the Brier Creek area, "our preference is to
build the interchange, without question," said DOT
Division 5 engineer Jon Nance, whose office would
supervise the work. 

Without it, the situation in the area "would be
similar to building the Southpoint mall without
rebuilding [the Interstate 40/Fayetteville Road]
interchange," Nance said. "You could get to the mall
but would end up with a lot of traffic issues." 

The separate comments from Easley, Meeker and Nance
highlighted a busy day of maneuvering as officials
prepared for a Monday state Senate committee meeting
that could decide whether the budget order to extend
Alexander Drive stands. 

Differing aims for bill 

Opponents of the provision -- led by Ken Spaulding,
Durham's delegate to the state Board of Transportation
-- hope to persuade the Senate's Judiciary I committee
to use a so-called "technical corrections bill" to
override the order. 

Durham's senior senator, Democrat Jeanne Lucas, sits
on the committee and intended Friday to speak to the
panel's chairman, Sen. Dan Clodfelter, D-Mecklenburg,
and the primary legislative sponsor of the extension,
Sen. Vernon Malone, D-Wake, Durham Mayor Bill Bell
said. Lucas couldn't be reached for comment. 

Meeker, however, said he hopes Malone uses the same
bill to make sure the project doesn't count against
the equity formula. 

The Raleigh mayor also confirmed that the deal for the
road assumes that the Texas-based developer, Stanford
of North Carolina, and other property owners in the
corridor would donate the land the road would cross.
The property owners would put in no cash, Meeker said.


Raleigh's $1 million -- taken from the city's general
fund -- would supply some of the needed construction
money. The rest would come from the state, Meeker
said. 

Raleigh officials assume the project will cost $11
million. Malone has said it would cost $10 million.
Neither figure includes the interchange, Nance said. 

The $6.2 million estimate -- which came Friday from a
consultant hired by Stratford -- "has to be a
bare-bones kind of thing where they're only building
the minimum," Nance said. 

The consultant, Jonathan Callahan, said in a memo to
his clients that other studies suggest the interchange
"is not anticipated to be necessary for some time." 

Meeker led the push on Raleigh's City Council to
pledge $1 million to the extension. He said he did so
because he was told it could be financed as a
"demonstration" or economic-development project,
rather than as one that would take funds from other
road projects. 

Stratford's North Carolina lobbyist, former Lt. Gov.
Dennis Wicker, declined Friday to discuss the
Alexander Drive project.