Today's column
If you had billions of dollars, how would you split it up?
Of course, you would spend the money on yourself, family and friends. (OK. Maybe with that much money you might give a little bit to charity.)
Congress has faced a similar dilemma - how to split up billions that will be spent on the nation's transportation system through 2009.
And with each member looking out for his or her own state or district, it's no surprise the bill took two years to pass. But last week, Congress did manage to agree to spend $286.4 billion on highways, mass transit and safety. The bill is expected to be signed by the president Wednesday.
It's also no surprise that the bill has been criticized as pork-barrel spending with an estimated 5,700 pet projects included.
But don’t worry, the Triad certainly got its piece of the pie. (Feel free to start humming "The Jeffersons" theme song.)
Among the big-ticket items earmarked for the Triad, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation and the state’s congressional representatives:
- Greensboro received $10 million to upgrade its traffic signal system, $4.8 million to replace buses and $800,000 to extend the Battleground rail trail from Cone Boulevard to Spring Garden Street.
- High Point picked up $10 million to build Interstate 74 between Interstate 40 and U.S. 220, $6.2 million for a furniture market bus terminal and $8.1 million for new roads near the airport, such as the widening of Sandy Ridge Road from Skeet Club Road to I-40.
- For regional projects, the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation secured $10.5 million for a new center near the airport to serve as a new administration building and a stop for bus or train service. They also received $1 million for the start-up of PART bus service for Elon and Elon University.
Many local governments had been banking - or at least hoping - that the money would come through. Congressional representatives had been pushing for local projects to make their way into the bill, so the results weren't exactly a surprise. In High Point, the furniture market bus terminal is already under construction.
In some cases, the money could help move forward some projects that wouldn't otherwise have funding, especially at a time when N.C. DOT is strapped for cash.
Jim Westmoreland, Greensboro's director of transportation, said without the money, Greensboro would be unable to make upgrades to its aging signal system.
"We’re going to be able to keep the project on schedule and have the same scope in terms of what we had looked at before," he said.
And the money will let High Point begin design and engineering work on the widening of Sandy Ridge Road, something the state has not funded.
"It gives us a two- or three-year jump," Phil Wylie, High Point’s transportation director, said.
Understandably, the state is always happy to receive federal funding, said Calvin W. Leggett, the N.C. DOT engineer in charge of program development. But, he said, the set up is not ideal.
By designating which projects money should be spent on, the decisions are made in Washington, not locally. As a result, money for projects throughout the state may have to be shifted to ensure equity throughout the state.
So while it may seem like the state is receiving a windfall - an estimated $5.5 billion - North Carolina residents are really just getting back their federal gasoline and diesel fuel taxes back, he said. And even then, the state doesn't receive all of its tax dollars back. North Carolina is considered a donor state, which means we send more to Washington in transportation taxes than we get back. Some states get back more than they contribute.
Under the bill, North Carolina will see its rate of return jump from 90.5 percent of every dollar to 92 percent. This increase will mean an extra $8 million a year coming back to the state, Leggett said.
And that’s just enough to haggle over.
Fast Forward runs every Saturday. Got questions you want answered or need to vent about transportation issues? Send 'em our way at fastforward@news-record.com. Be sure to leave your name and a way for us to get in touch with you.
Road closings
FORSYTH COUNTY
-N.C. 66 is closed for maintenance from Bagly Drive and West Mountain Street through Aug. 15. Take Bagly Drive to Pisgah Church Road to West Mountain Street.
GREENSBORO
-The right lanes of Wendover Avenue are be closed for widening and drainage improvements from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Aug. 31 between the Guilford College Road overpass and Brewster Road.
-Various lanes of Wendover Avenue are closed from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. through Sept. 2 between Edwardia Street and Clifton Road for resurfacing.
-Stagecoach Trail will be permanently closed between Friendly Avenue and Wagon Wheel Drive for Urban Loop construction. Traffic will have to use Friendly Avenue to Guilford College Road to Ballinger Road.
-Resurfacing: Eagle Road from Beechcroft Drive to Stanley Road; Flagstaff Court from Denver Drive to cul de sac; Denver Drive from Sacramento Drive to Tulsa Drive; Shanahan Court from Rehobeth Church Road to cul de sac; Donegal Court from Donegal Drive to cul de sac; Industrial Avenue from Pleasant Garden Road to Thurston Road
RANDOLPH COUNTY
-Cedar Square Road is closed on weekends from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through March 31, 2006, as part of the Randleman Dam construction. Take Cedar Square Road to Davis Country Road to Canter Road.
-Sunset Street is closed on weekends from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Dec. 16 for major rehabilitation. Take Park Street to Salisbury Street. Go west on Salisbury Street to the U.S. 220 Bypass South. Then south on U.S. 220 Bypass connector to Sunset Avenue.
In addition, Sunset Street will be closed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Monday through Wednesday to all but local traffic between McCrary and Church streets. Park Street will also be closed to all but local traffic during those times between Wainman Avenue and Salisbury Street. Detour signs will be in place.
