Winston-Salem's Northern Beltway has been delayed for too many years as other cities in the state have proceeded with their urban loops and road construction costs have risen. Just recently, Gov. Bev Perdue announced a plan to finish the last leg of the Charlotte beltway. Winston-Salem leaders should renew their efforts to get state money for the loop here, so construction can begin as soon as a lawsuit opposing the beltway is settled.
Two citizens' groups filed the suit against the U.S. Department of Transportation, the federal Highway Administration and the N.C. Department of Transportation. The suit says that environmental impact studies didn't sufficiently analyze the project's effect on air quality. A federal District Court judge could rule on the case later this year. This is the second lawsuit the groups have filed on environmental issues in regard to the loop.
State and federal officials must work with the citizens' groups to finally resolve these issues. If Forsyth County had proceeded with the western leg of the loop in 1999, as it had planned to do, it would have obtained the money it needed for the job and be almost done with the project, but the first lawsuit stopped it.
Mayor Allen Joines of Winton-Salem said that Perdue has said the Charlotte project won't affect other loops, but "we're obviously concerned that this might divert money from our beltway."
Officials have refined their Winston-Salem beltway plan, deciding to start with the eastern leg of the loop, which will run for about 17 miles, from U.S. 52 to U.S. 311. Officials realized that there aren't enough funds to proceed simultaneously with the eastern and western legs. The eastern leg, which will cost about $870 million, is the more crucial because it will take traffic off heavily traveled U.S. 52, run near commercial land to be developed in and around the Dell site, and be part of the proposed Interstate 74 corridor.
A citizens' group, Northern Beltway Now, is pushing for the beltway's completion. They're frustrated that they can't develop their land because it's in the proposed path of the beltway, and they would have difficulty selling it. The state has stopped buying land until the lawsuit is settled.
Meanwhile, Perdue has come up with a plan for dealing with the limited money available for road projects. The "design/build/finance" approach takes advantage of low construction costs in the tight economy. It would mean the $540-million Charlotte project would be paid for with $240 million from the state's highway trust fund and $250 million in proceeds from bonds to be repaid from federal grants. The contractor would put up $50 million, but later be reimbursed by the state.
Forsyth County must ready itself to take advantage of such innovative financing approaches. It's past time to secure the money for this project, resolve the lawsuit and proceed.
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