PART board seeks changes to interstate upkeep funding
GREENSBORO - The state should do a better job of funding maintenance for interstates, particularly in heavily traveled areas such as the Triad, regional transportation officials said Wednesday.
The Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation board approved a resolution supporting a change in the way interstate maintenance is funded by the N.C. Department of Transportation.
Maintenance for interstates is included in the money given to each local N.C. DOT division. That money is part of an equity formula that attempts to balance the amount of money doled out across the state.
But regional transportation officials say the system is inadequate and penalizes those areas with a high number of interstate miles, particularly those that are heavily traveled and require more upkeep.
The local N.C. DOT divisions that include the Triad combine for 19 percent of the state's 1,019 miles of interstate, according to N.C. DOT figures.
Having to pay for maintenance means other projects fall to the wayside, PART board members said.
"It's about the most unfair thing that can happen, and it's been happening for years," Mayor Keith Holliday said.
But changing the funding structure could be close to impossible, said Doug Galyon, a PART board member and the chairman of the N.C. Board of Transportation. Any changes would have to go through the General Assembly and areas of the state that don't have interstates would not be in favor of changing the system unless some of their major roads could be included, he said.
"You're asking for the counties in the east and the west to give up some of their funds to support the interstate highway system," Galyon said.
Holliday urged board members to ask local governments to support the resolution to change the funding structure.
Also Wednesday, the board approved a resolution to continue the "Heart of the Triad" regional planning. Planners from six area governments have been looking at ways to coordinate land-use along 53,000 acres that stretches from Piedmont Triad International Airport to Kernersville.
They fear the land will be developed sporadically with single-family homes. They say the center of the area has the potential to become another Research Triangle Park.
PART also agreed to establish a steering committee with elected officials from all six governments and PART to guide the planners in their work.
The board also approved its budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1. The budget increased from $8 million to $8.6 million. PART's funding comes from federal, state and local money.
PART also approved a separate $559,000 budget for its ride-sharing and vanpool program.
Contact Amy Dominello at 883-4422, Ext. 248, or adominello@news-record.com