crosstown

McCrory adds Louis Wetmore of Hickory and former Rep. Jim Crawford to transportation board

BruceSiceloff — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:48:44 -0400

Jim Crawford, an Oxford Democrat who served 28 years in the state House of Representatives, and Louis Wetmore, a Hickory Republican, took their seats Thursday as Gov. Pat McCrory's newest appointees to the state Board of Transportation, DOT said.

(6/9/13 update: According to financial disclosure statements filed by the two men and provided by McCrory's office, Wetmore contributed $1,926.95 to McCrory's 2012 campaign. Crawford co-chaired a Democrats for McCrory campaign group last year, but he did not contribute money to McCrory and did not report raising money for McCrory. With Wetmore's contribution added to previous totals, McCrory received a total of $158,321 directly from or with the help of 10 of his 12 Board of Transportation appointees -- most of it from one man. )

Wetmore, a registered investment adviser for OmniStar Financial Group, succeeds Bob Collier as the board's Division 12 representative. Collier, a Democrat and former board chairman, resigned in January.

Crawford will serve as the board's at-large member for rural transportation, replacing Democrat Tripp Sloane. He becomes the board's second resident of Division Five, which also includes Wake, Durham and four other counties. Division Five's primary representative is Republican Michael C. Smith of Raleigh, a McCrory fundraiser.

Crawford was one of only five House Democrats who voted with the Republican majority to override former Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue's budget veto in 2012. He was defeated last spring in the Democratic primary after redistricting put him in the same district with fellow incumbent Winkie Wilkins of Person County.

McCrory now has 12 appointees on the 19-member board. In the photo here, Judge Paul Newby of the N.C. Supreme Court, right, administers the oath of office to new board members Louis Wetmore, left, and Jim Crawford, center.

Senate OKs compromise to let DOT study TriEx Red Route through Garner

BruceSiceloff — Wed, 29 May 2013 14:33:08 -0400

(Updated Thursday 5/30/13.) The Senate voted 44-5 today to approve a compromise with the House on legislation to let the state Department of Transportation resume planning work on the Triangle Expressway Southeast Extension, which will take the 540 Outer Loop across southern Wake County. A House vote is expected Monday.

The language was recommended by House and Senate conferees to settle differences between the two chambers. The measure repeals a 2011 law that stopped DOT from considering the unpopular Red Route, which would take the six-lane toll road through Garner -- destroying homes, parks and churches. The repeal bill has been stalled since February, when the House rejected Senate language that would cancel other toll-road projects.

The Red Route ban was intended only to keep DOT from running the new expressway through Garner, but it had the effect of halting DOT efforts to build it on any route. Federal regulators insisted on a full DOT study of the Red Route as an alternative to the more popular Orange Route, which would damage sensitive wetlands.

State and Wake County government leaders and DOT officials have said they'll never approve construction of the Red Route, but they'll allow road planners to study it. Garner residents supported the law blocking DOT study of the Red Route. Two of the five votes against its repeal Thursday came from Garner's two senators, Democrat Dan Blue and Republican Chad Barefoot.

The new compromise language duplicates provisions of the Senate-approved budget, which is now being considered in the House, and the House-approved Strategic Mobility Formula bill.

Prius, Tesla, Volt drivers et al: Ready to pay new hybrid / electric car fees?

BruceSiceloff — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:48:50 -0400

If the state Senate gets its way, North Carolina will join a small but growing number of states that collect extra fees or taxes from drivers of all-electric cars and hybrid fuel-electric cars.

(Update: See 5/28/13 Road Worrier column "Hybrid, electric car fees could help make up for lost taxes" with reader comments.)

The budget rolling through the Senate this week includes new annual fees of $100 for plug-in, electric-only cars and $50 for hybrids. The Senate figures this would generate an extra $1.5 million a year for state transportation needs.

The rationale for electric cars is straightforward: They use our public roads, but their drivers don't pay the fuel taxes that help build and maintain the roads.

When it comes to hybrids, the issue is murkier: They use gas or diesel fuel, so their drivers already pay fuel taxes. Are hybrid owners to be penalized for taking steps to improve their fuel economy?

Here's the budget language:

ADDITIONAL ANNUAL FEE FOR ELECTRIC AND HYBRID VEHICLES

SECTION 34.21.(a) G.S. 20‑87 is amended by adding the following new subdivisions to read:

"(13) Additional fee for certain electric vehicles. – At the time of an initial registration or registration renewal, the owner of a plug‑in electric vehicle that is not a low‑speed vehicle and that does not rely on a nonelectric source of power shall pay a fee in the amount of one hundred dollars ($100.00) in addition to any other required registration fees.

(14) Additional fee for certain hybrid vehicles. – At the time of an initial registration, or registration renewal, the owner of a hybrid vehicle that is not a low‑speed vehicle shall pay a fee in the amount of fifty dollars ($50.00) in addition to any other required registration fees."

House rebuffs a push to put more limits on I-95 toll option

BruceSiceloff — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:06:55 -0400

A House proposal that won unanimous approval last week to allow limited toll collection on Interstate 95 faced an unexpected challenge from toll foes when it returned for a final House floor vote Tuesday.

The House eventually gave its final approval -- not unanimous, this time -- and sent to the Senate a bill that would let the state Department of Transportation charge tolls only on new lanes added to interstate highways, while guaranteeing that drivers still can use the original lanes without paying tolls.

Rep. Michael Speciale, a New Bern Republican, tried to amend the bill to give the legislature power to veto any DOT decision to add toll lanes to an existing interstate highway. He said he supported the legislature's ongoing efforts to remove politics from transportation decision-making ... but not on toll roads.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave it in DOT’s hands” to decide which roads get tolls, Speciale said. “I don’t think we should abdicate our position and turn it over to an unelected bureaucrat, to let DOT make that decision for us.”

Bill supporters said local planning boards will have veto power over future toll projects, and DOT will be required to consult the legislature. They said Speciale's proposal would undo the support of DOT and Senate leaders for the measure, which preserves drivers' option to continue using interstates without paying tolls.

“I see an issue with I-95 because we have so many different opinions up and down the highway,” said Rep. Pat McElraft, an Emerald Isle Republican. “When you leave it up to people in the General Assembly, you might have one opnion down in Lumberton and another opinion from another area of I-95 – and you might have representatives fighting each other. We need to leave it to DOT.”

The House defeated Speciale's amendment by 97 to 18, and then approved the bill by 108 to 7.

Senate budget taxes hybrid cars, extends ferry tolls, broadens transportation board

BruceSiceloff — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:49:12 -0400

Here are some of the transportation funding and policy changes outlined in the proposed Senate budget (PDF) released Sunday. Some of these are new proposals, and others were previously aired this spring in separate legislation:

Try to acquire federal land around Oregon Inlet: The Oregon Inlet Land Acquisition Task Force is established to study the state's options for acquiring land around the Oregon Inlet from the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service so the state can preserve the navigability of Oregon Inlet.

Charge tolls on all ferries: Order the state Department of Transportation to begin collecting tolls on all seven ferry routes by November 1, with rates high enough to generate $5 million to $10 million a year in revenues. This would include tolls on the two routes that the General Assembly said last year would stay toll-free: Hatteras Inlet and Currituck Sound.

Collect dividends and demand more accountability from N.C. Railroad: Add two state Board of Transportation members to the board of the privately operated, state-owned railroad. Require more reporting from the railroad, sell some unneeded railroad land and collect annual dividends from railroad lease revenues.

Increase fees for driver education class: Local schools would be allowed to charge teens up to $65 for driver education class, up from the current $45.

Implement Gov. Pat McCrory's proposed Strategic Mobility Formula: Adopt McCrory's proposal, which would determine how most transportation funds are distributed across the state, including modifications recently made in the House of Representatives.

Cancel the legislature's "Red Route" study ban, which has prevented NCDOT from winning regulatory approval of any route for the next leg of the Triangle Expressway, extending the 540 Outer Loop across southern Wake County from Holly Springs to I-40 near Garner.

Cancel the state's statutory pledge to build three other toll projects: the Mid-Currituck Bridge, the Cape Fear Skyway and the Garden Parkway.

Expand the state Board of Transportation: Along with its 19 members appointed by the governor, add a state House appointee and a state Senate appointee. Create a new turnpike committee and give it the power previously vested in the separate N.C. Turnpike Authority.

Collect $1.5 million in new fees from electric and hybrid car owners: Electric car owners would pay a $100 annual fee. Owners of hybrid cars, who also pay tax on the gas and diesel fuel their cars and trucks consume, would pay a $50 fee.

Allow fund transfers: $218.1 million in Highway Fund money transferred to the General Fund in fiscal year 2013-14, $215.9 million in 2014-15.

Ban government drones and drone snooping: No local or state agency can procure or operate an "unmanned aircraft system or disclose personal information about any person acquired through the operation of an unmanned aircraft system" without approval of the state chief information officer.

Provide money for dredging shallow coastal channels: A Shallow Draft Navigation Channel Dredging Fund is established, with $2.3 million from the gas tax and money from Wildlife Resources Commission fees, to maintain navigation channels in coastal waterways.

Spend money for DMV improvements: Increase Division of Motor Vehicles budget to upgrade technology and allow more offices to open their doors on Saturdays.

If you blow an .05, are you too drunk to drive?

BruceSiceloff — Sun, 19 May 2013 11:52:45 -0400

Last week the National Transportation Safety Board called on North Carolina and the other states to dial back the blood-alcohol limit used by police and the courts to determine whether someone is too impaired to be allowed to drive. The NTSB recommends .05 percent, much more strict than the current DWI standard of .08 percent.

(5/21/13 update: See Road Worrier: If you blow a .05, safety board says you’re not fit to drive with reader comments.)

Is this a good idea? Does the current .08 standard protect dangerous drunks who shouldn't be allowed to drive? Would a change to .05 save lives and make everybody safer? Or would it go too far?

The New York Times aired a debate on this last week, with a handful of commentators offering pros and cons.

It turns out that .05 is the DWI standard enforced across most of Europe, most of Asia, most of South America, half of Africa, and Australia. The United States and Canada stand out as .08 outliers on this NTSB map.

Legislators make progress on speeds, tolls and transportation money

BruceSiceloff — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:57:00 -0400

Raleigh's Tift Merritt has a lovely song that comes to mind on the General Assembly's frantic "Crossover Day." Any bill that didn't clear one chamber by the end of the day Thursday was eliminated from consideration by the other chamber.

In a weary voice, Merritt sings:

I don't want to talk to nobody,
Don't want to make no plans,
I'm so tired of this party,
I've had all my laughs.
I'll send you something when I cross over,
Something when I cross over.

Here's where we stand, after Crossover Day, on major transportation legislation:

House Bill 817 implements Gov. Pat McCrory’s proposed Strategic Mobility Formula, a new system for distributing transportation funds and setting transportation spending priorities across the state. It replaces the 1989 Highway Trust Fund Law. The measure also cancels a legislative mandate for construction of three turnpike projects in Currituck, New Hanover and Gaston counties. It won bipartisan approval in the House and next will be heard by the Senate Finance Committee.

House Bill 786 (The RECLAIM NC Act) offers special driving permits to immigrants who are in the United States illegally, and it establishes tough new immigration enforcement measures for police and the courts. It cleared a House judiciary subcommittee and was sent to the House Finance Committee for possible action later during this session.

House Bill 267 allows the state to collect tolls on existing interstate highways -- but only in new lanes added to the highway. Drivers would have the option to use the same number of toll-free lanes that existed previously. The bill, prompted by a proposal to charge tolls on I-95, won unanimous House approval and was sent to the Senate. (5/18/13 update: See today's story with reader comments.) More here.

House Bill 109 originally would have repealed the safety helmet requirement for North Carolina motorcycle riders, except for those under 21. It found little support, because of medical and fiscal concerns, so it was rewritten to call for a legislative study of the issue. The House approved the helmet study proposal and sent it to the Senate.

House Bill 428 increases penalties for drivers who pass school buses that are stopped to discharge or pick up children. The House passed it unanimously and sent it to the Senate.

House Bill 10 repeals a 2011 law that blocked the state from considering the unpopular Red Route, which runs through Garner, for the Triangle Expressway extension of the 540 Outer Loop across southern Wake County. The change is needed to win federal approval of the route eventually chosen. The House passed it but refused to accept Senate changes. Both chambers are expected to find another way to allow the Red Route study.

Senate Bill 709 allows DOT to set speed limits as high as 75mph on some freeways, instead of the current top limit of 70mph. It zoomed through the Senate with only one dissenting vote, and now is before the House Transportation Committee.

House Bill 117 allows school buses to drive 55mph, instead of the current 45mph limit, when no schoolchildren are on board. It died in the House Transportation Committee.

Senate Bill 327 prohibits the sale of cars in North Carolina by unlicensed out-of-state dealers online or by phone. It is aimed at Tesla. It passed the Senate unanimously.

And now, here's good old Tift Merritt.

NC House OKs I-95 tolls, but only for new lanes

BruceSiceloff — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:07:26 -0400

View NC tolls for I-95 in a larger map

In a unanimous vote Thursday, the House agreed to let the state collect tolls to help pay for the addition of new lanes on I-95 and other interstate highways -- but only if drivers retain the option to drive toll-free in the old lanes. (5/18/13 update: See today's story with reader comments.)

Eastern North Carolina political leaders and residents of the eight I-95 counties have opposed a state Department of Transportation proposal to collect tolls on both new and old lanes to finance a $4.4 billion widening and overhaul for I-95. The aging interstate would be expanded from four to eight lanes on the busiest 50 miles between I-40 in Johnston County and St. Pauls in Robeson County, and six lanes on the remainder of its 182 miles between the South Carolina and Virginia borders. Under the original proposal, drivers would begin paying tolls in all lanes before the project is finished.

If the Senate agrees with the House approach, DOT will have to adjust its plans.

"If they decide they want to toll any lanes on interstates that exist in North Carolina, they can only do that if they build new lanes," said Rep. Jeff Collins, a Rocky Mount Republican who sponsored the bill. "They can't toll the current lanes now in anticipation of building new non-toll lanes later. They can't build a toll lane unless they keep they same number of non-toll lanes that were in existence before they built those toll lanes."

Rep. Elmer Floyd, a Fayetteville Democrat, said the legislation will be welcome news for local residents and trucking companies that depend on I-95.

"This bill will help the poorest portion of our state," Floyd said.

Collins said DOT officials have spoken tentatively of adding the new lanes and giving them higher speed limits, as an incentive to out-of-state drivers who might be willing to pay the toll.

"There might be a 10 mph advantage to paying the toll, or something like that, if you wanted to fly through our state," Collins said. "People in my area can go up and down I-95 without paying a toll."

Ocracoke vandals target ticket-writing troopers' cruisers

BruceSiceloff — Tue, 07 May 2013 11:24:52 -0400

Vandals on Ocracoke Island used paint and concrete over the weekend to damage the cars of two State Highway Patrol troopers who were enforcing state alcohol and seat-belt traffic laws.

The island was crowded with visitors to the 30th annual Ocracoke Invitational Surf Fishing Tournament. Over the weekend, two troopers handed out 59 tickets, including 32 citations for seat-belt violations and five charges of driving while intoxicated.

They woke up Saturday morning to find that their patrol cars had been vandalized overnight – one splattered with green paint, the other with a concrete block thrown through the rear window – in their motel parking lot.

"It's embarrassing that this has happened," Sgt. Jason Daniels of the Hyde County Sheriff's Department told the Ocracoke Current.

The Highway Patrol spokesman, First Sgt. Jeff Gordon, said he did not know whether the vandalism was intended as retaliation from Ocracokers unhappy about the troopers' presence there. But he said the Highway Patrol would continue to enforce traffic laws on the island.

“We’re paid to basically enforce the motor vehicle laws of the state, and we’re going to do that,” Gordon said. “It’s no different whether you’re in Ocracoke or up in Boone or wherever. Our number-one goal is to ensure people’s safety. When you have a large influx of people in an area, we’re going to be there to be sure people are safe.”

Triangle commuters are paying those TriEx tolls. Are you?

BruceSiceloff — Fri, 03 May 2013 12:12:30 -0400

View Triangle Expressway in a larger map

Traffic counts are rising every month on the Triangle Expressway, NCDOT says.

How come? There were plenty of pessimistic predictions about the state's first modern toll road, and angry vows from Wake County drivers who swore they would never pay the tolls. (5/7/13 update: See today's Road Worrier.)

There's a few-mile stretch of the 540 Outer Loop, between NC 54 and NC 55 near Research Triangle Park, that was toll-free for a few years before toll collections started last August. Sure enough, the monthly traffic counts fell as soon as the toll-free status went away.

But the numbers rebounded, suggesting that Triangle commuters decided they'd rather pay for the privilege than take another road to work in the morning and home in the afternoon. You can find these and other TriEx stats in a pair of PDF files that are too large (sorry!) to attach to this blog post: The 2012 report (7.1MB) and the 2013 First Quarter Report (11.9MB).

TriEx is still in a "ramp-up" period of slow growth that was predicted by the traffic experts before it was built. It'll take a few years to see how busy it really can get, and it will always be mostly a weekday rush-hour thing. But the numbers show it is getting busier now.

I'll be reporting on this Monday, and I would like to speak with TriEx drivers -- and TriEx avoiders. Tell me why you use TriEx or what else you use instead -- is NC 55 looking better these days? Please email me with your name, your thoughts, and your workday phone number so I can contact you Monday.

Having Foxx at US DOT will be good for NC, Conti says

BruceSiceloff — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 18:30:41 -0400

President Barack Obama's decision to make Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx the next U.S. transportation secretary is good news for North Carolina, former state Transportation Secretary Gene Conti said Sunday.

“Because he knows North Carolina, and he will be responsive to North Carolina’s needs,” said Conti, who served as an assistant U.S. transportation secretary during the Clinton administration and headed the state DOT under former Gov. Bev Perdue.

Foxx is expected to be named Monday to succeed Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a former Illinois congressman.

“Obviously he can’t just direct money willy-nilly to North Carolina, but I will tell you that Illinois fared very well under Secretary LaHood. I think North Carolina will have a sympathetic ear there. I think this is excellent news for North Carolina,” Conti said.

Conti praised Foxx for his work as Charlotte mayor to advance the city’s rail transit plan and to push for freight and passenger rail improvements and completion of Charlotte’s I-485 Outer Loop. When Conti chaired a national railroad policy committee meeting in Charlotte, Foxx “spoke very eloquently about rail, off the cuff, and he wowed the crowd about how important the rail connections would be for Charlotte. I think he is very capable.”

Durham bridge project will close I-40 early Sunday

BruceSiceloff — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:45:06 -0400

View American Tobacco Trail bridge over I-40 in a larger map

Interstate 40 will be shut down from midnight to 7 a.m. Sunday morning while workers use a big crane to lower the steel frame of a 270-foot-long footbridge into place, spanning the six-lane interstate highway in south Durham, the city of Durham said.

I-40 will be closed between N.C. 751 (Exit 274) and Fayetteville Road (Exit 276). Detours will be marked via N.C. 54 (north of I-40) for westbound I-40 travelers and via Renaissance Parkway (south of I-40) for eastbound travelers.

Welders have been busy on the I-40 shoulder assembling the steel-tube bridge frame, which was delivered to the construction site in four pieces. Although the work this week was done entirely on the shoulder and all traffic lanes were open, the construction activity contributed to rush-hour delays as commuters slowed down to see what was going on.

The bridge frame will be lowered into place Sunday on four support piers, two on each side of I-40. In the coming weeks, workers will install the bridge deck, fencing, lighting and other elements.

The bridge is part of a 4.2-mile section of the American Tobacco Trail in southern Durham County that is scheduled to open in July. (See March 27 story.)

Ramp meters - with little stop and go lights - for Triangle freeways?

BruceSiceloff — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:10:41 -0400

View Triangle ramp meters recommended in a larger map

A consultant report (see copy below) lists 12 Triangle interchanges where on-ramp meters could reduce congestion by smoothing out the flow of cars as they merge into busy rush-hour freeway traffic.

(4/16/13 update: see today's Road Worrier column with reader comments.) What do you think about this idea? If you have experience using ramp meters on busy city freeways in U.S. or European cities, I'd like to hear from you.

Please email me (bruce.siceloff@newsobserver.com) with your name and daytime contact info.

Gov. McCrory appoints fundraisers to board after candidate McCrory vowed not to

BruceSiceloff — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 11:19:20 -0400

During his first campaign for governor in 2008, Republican Pat McCrory hammered his opponent, Bev Perdue, on her ties to major Democratic Party fundraisers on the state Board of Transportation.

McCrory vowed repeatedly in 2008 that he would never appoint his campaign fundraisers to the transportation board if he was elected governor.

But that's what he did after he won the 2012 election.

Mike Smith, a Raleigh real estate executive, was sworn into office Thursday (eighth from the left in photo, above) as one of Gov. McCrory's first 10 appointees to the transportation board. Smith reports on campaign disclosure forms that he personally collected $106,000 for McCrory's 2012 campaign. (See copy of his disclosure form, below.) A second appointee, Wilmington lawyer Mike Lee, said he had rounded up $500 as a McCrory fundraiser.

"We should not give the appearance that someone gets an appointment because they've raised thousands upon thousands of dollars for a particular candidate. And there's no doubt that that's been the norm in state government for decades," McCrory said at a campaign ethics forum on Sept. 16, 2008.

"I want to take politics out of board work so there's not an appearance of a conflict of interest," McCrory said on Sept. 22, 2008.

Kim Genardo, the governor's communications director, said McCrory stands by his transportation appointments and his commitment to high ethical standards.

"The spirit of the governor's comments five years ago were to condemn unethical behavior on the state Board of Transportation, not to impede people's rights to participate in the democratic process," Genardo said Friday.

Back in 2008, McCrory attacked Perdue for her connection to Louis Sewell of Jacksonville, a major Democratic Party fundraiser forced to leave the Board of Transportation after he influenced DOT spending decisions that benefited his family businesses. McCrory was praised for his promise not to put his campaign fundraisers on the transportation board. That pledge was cited approvingly in newspaper editorials, including the Charlotte Observer's endorsement of his candidacy.

Contacted Friday, Smith said his long association with McCrory is "not a fundraising relationship."

"I've known Pat for over 20 years, and I think our character and principles speak for themselves," Smith said.

Smith recently reported his role as a big-dollar fundraiser for McCrory on campaign disclosure forms required by state law for all appointees to the transportation board.

The law requires the governor to submit the names of his appointees and their campaign disclosure forms to the legislature's Joint Transportation Oversight Committee, to give committee members 30 days to comment on the appointees.

McCrory did not do this.

He sent the information only to the House and Senate clerks, and to the Republican heads of both chambers. Some committee members complained that he should have done what his predecessors did, sending the appointees and their disclosure forms to each member of the oversight committee.

10 Board of Transportation appointees helped McCrory campaign raise $156,394

BruceSiceloff — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 16:01:41 -0400

Gov. Pat McCrory's campaign raised $156,394 with the help of nine men and a woman who will take their seats Thursday as his appointees to the state Board of Transportation, according to financial disclosure statements released Wednesday by McCrory's office.

The governor's top helper among the group is Michael C. Smith of Raleigh, president of Kane Realty Corp., the developer of North Hills. Smith is the new transportation board representative for Division 5, seven Triangle-area counties including Durham and Wake.

Smith is the only one of the 10 new board members who reports no campaign contributions directly from himself to McCrory. But he says he worked as a campaign fundraiser, bringing in $106,000 from other donors to McCrory, and his brother gave $250.

Among the other transportation appointees, only Michael V. Lee of Wilmington reported he also had helped McCrory as a fundraiser. Lee said he raised $500 from other donors, and he and his wife contributed $829.

McCrory's biggest direct backers on the board were Ferrell L. Blount III of Bethel, a former state Republican Party chairman, who (with his wife) contributed $9,215; and John D. Lennon of Wilmington and Ned L. Curran of Charlotte, who gave $8,000 apiece.

McCrory raised eyebrows in the legislature when he submitted the 10 names and their campaign disclosure statements, but did not send them to members of an oversight committee empowered by state law to review the names before they formally join the transportation board.

Sen. Bill Rabon, a Brunswick County Republican, is chairman of the Joint Transportation Oversight Committee, which was supposed to receive the names. Asked Wednesday whether he thought McCrory had followed the law when he sent the names only to the clerks and leaders of the House and Senate, Rabon said he didn't know.

"I really don't have an opinion on that one way or the other," Rabon said. "The executive branch has its way of doing things. When things come over here, we're going to follow the statutes."

Here are the 10 new members:

Division 1 (northeast): Malcolm K. Fearing III of Manteo, president of Outer Banks Insurance Agency, replaces Matt Wood. Registered as a politically unaffiliated voter, married to a Democrat. Gave the 2012 McCrory campaign $1,000, according to campaign finance records. Fearing also discloses that his family real estate company owns office space that it has leased to NCDOT since 2005 for use by a construction engineer based in Manteo.

Division 3 (southeast): Michael V. Lee of Wilmington, a lawyer at Lee Law Firm PLLC, replaces Mike Alford. Republican. He and his wife gave McCrory $829, and he reported bringing in another $500 as a McCrory fundraiser.

Division 5 (Wake, Durham and five more Triangle-area counties): Michael C. Smith of Raleigh, president of Kane Realty Corp., developer of North Hills, replaces Chuck Watts. Republican. No McCrory contributions, but his brother gave $250 and Smith brought in another $106,000 as a fundraiser for McCrory.

Division 7 (Orange, Guilford and other Triad-area counties): Cheryl McQueary of Greensboro, a former U.S. Department of Transportation official in the administration of former President George W. Bush, replaces Mike Fox. McQueary is a Republican, married to Chuck McQueary, retired president of a General Dynamics subsidiary. She and her husband gave $4,600.

Division 9 (Forsyth and other Triad and central Piedmont counties): Jake F. Alexander III of Salisbury, sales director of Genan Inc., replaces Ralph Womble. Republican. Gave McCrory $1,000.

Division 11 (northwest): James R. Palermo of Boone, executive in residence at Johnson & Wales University, former Bank of America executive vice president, replaces Sam Halsey. Republican. Gave McCrory $1,000, and his son gave $250.

Division 13 (west): David L. Brown of Asheville, owner of D.L.B. Properties, replaces Wanda Proffitt. Republican. Gave McCrory $1,250.

At Large (environment): Ferrell L. Blount III of Bethel, a farmer and president of Blount Companies, and former state Republican Party chairman, replaces Nina Slozberg-Landis, resides in Division 2. Registered to vote in Atlantic Beach. Republican. He and his wife gave McCrory $9,215.

At Large (ports and aviation): John D. Lennon of Wilmington, managing partner of Oceancrest Advisory Services LLC, replaces Leigh McNairy, resides in Division 3. Republican. Gave McCrory $8,000.

At Large (government and finance): Edward L. "Ned" Curran of Charlotte, president and CEO of The Bissell Companies, replaces Ronnie Wall, resides in Division 10. Republican. Gave McCrory $8,000.

These board members have not been replaced: Republicans Hugh Overholt (Division 2), Gus Tulloss (Division 4) and John Collett (Divison 10), and Democrats Tripp Sloane (At Large - rural transportation, Division 3), Ed Grannis (Division 6), David Burns (Division 8), Andy Perkins (At Large - mass transit, Division 9), Bob Collier (Division 12) and Larry Kernea (Division 14).

McCrory has notified Sloane that he plans to replace him, and he also will replace Collier, who submitted his resignation effective after this week's meeting.

Raleigh makes plans for two downtown transit hubs

BruceSiceloff — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:46:24 -0400

Union Station is planned as a second transit hub on the west side of downtown Raleigh – but what about that first transit hub, at Moore Square?

The Raleigh City Council approved a contract Tuesday with Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc. to develop a master plan for downtown bus facilities in two phases.

First, the consultants will figure out how big a presence the Capital Area Transit bus service should have as part of a future rail-bus hub around the planned Union Station train depot on West Martin Street. The Union Station neighborhood eventually will serve Amtrak and high-speed intercity rail, regional commuter trains and light rail, Greyhound and local and regional buses.

Once the CAT presence at Union Station is worked out, Parsons Brinckerhoff and city officials will redesign and overhaul the Moore Square Transit Station. Moore Square, seven blocks east of Union Station, is expected to continue as an important local and regional bus hub.

Susan Pullium follows Tony Tata, and six other Wake schools officials, to NCDOT

BruceSiceloff — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:07:14 -0400

Transportation Secretary Tony Tata announced Monday that Susan Pullium, a student assignment administrator for the Wake County schools, will join him and at least six other former Wake school employees at NCDOT.

Pullium will become NCDOT's strategic planning director. She will work with Nick Tennyson, a former Durham mayor picked for a new position as NCDOT chief deputy secretary for support, on developing the state's long-range transportation infrastructure plan. She will be paid a salary of $88,084. At Wake schools, where Tata had worked as school superintendent for 20 months, Pullium served on a student assignment task force.

“Susan has overseen large-scale planning and community engagement efforts and understands the importance of collaboration,” Tata said in a news release. “She is a talented, innovative individual who will be a tremendous asset as we work with our business and community partners to develop a long-range transportation plan that boosts North Carolina’s economy.”

US 64 drawbridge fix will force detour for OBX travelers

BruceSiceloff — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 16:21:09 -0400

View Alligator River drawbridge detour in a larger map

If you’re planning a drive to the Outer Banks, you might want to get going soon – before they close the drawbridge into Dare County.4/2/13 update: The U.S. 64 bridge is now closed until April 14.

The U.S. 64 bridge across the Alligator River will be shut down for 12 days, starting Tuesday, April 2, for repairs to a cranky old drawbridge that pivots open for tugboats, fishing vessels and yachts traveling down the Intracoastal Waterway.

There are no quick alternate routes. Beachgoers should prepare for a longer slog that will add at least 30 miles to the journey.

The state Department of Transportation plans in a few years to rebuild the entire 2.8-mile bridge across the Alligator River as part of a $277 million project to widen 16 miles of U.S. 64. But engineers say they dare not wait that long to replace worn-out components that frequently cause trouble for the drawbridge section.

The $489,500 bridge rehabilitation work includes the replacement of balance wheels, worn-out gears and shafts, and the pivot itself – a bronze disk 24 inches in diameter that bears the weight of the entire bridge as it opens and closes.

Traffic delays already have begun as DOT closes one lane of U.S. 64 at a time, to make room for preliminary work. The complete shutdown will begin just after midnight Tuesday morning, continuing through April 14.

DOT will mark a 90-mile detour that starts west of the bridge at Columbia in Tyrrell County. It turns south from U.S. 64 onto N.C. 94, crosses Lake Mattamuskeet and runs north on U.S. 264 to rejoin U.S. 64 in Dare County. It adds about 60 miles to the trip.

Drivers coming from the Triangle will see electronic message boards suggesting a less inconvenient option: Take U.S. 17 north from Williamston, then turn south on U.S. 158 to the Dare County Outer Banks. That’s about 30 miles longer than the usual drive on U.S. 64 to Nag’s Head.

Tata endorses Senate push to deauthorize three turnpike projects

BruceSiceloff — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 11:25:19 -0400

Transportation Secretary Tony Tata has endorsed a Senate proposal that probably would kill three turnpike projects in Currituck, New Hanover and Gaston counties.

If the measure becomes law, the state Department of Transportation will find itself authorized to continue work on only two toll roads: the 19.7-mile Monroe Connector / Bypass east of Charlotte, and the Triangle Expressway Southeast Extension, which would extend the 540 Outer Loop across southern Wake County from Holly Springs to I-40 near Garner.

State House leaders have not decided whether to go along with the Senate idea. The Senate added the provision three weeks ago, when it approved a House bill that began with a more limited scope.

The original bill would simply repeal a 2011 law that has blocked DOT from moving forward on the TriEx extension across southern Wake. The House and Senate and Tata all agree on this part. It would authorize the state to comply with demands by environmental regulators that DOT study the Red Route alternative that would take TriEx through Garner.

State leaders swear they'll never build the Red Route, but regulators insist on a study to compare it with the environmentally problematic Orange Route south of Garner, favored by DOT.

The Red Route bill, sponsored by two Republican House members whose districts include southern Wake, appeared headed for easy passage. But its prospects became uncertain when the Senate added a proposal by Sen. Bill Rabon, a Brunswick County Republican. It would cancel the legislature's authorization for NCDOT to continue work on the Mid-Currituck Bridge to the northern Outer Banks, the Cape Fear Skyway bridge and road at Wilmington, and the Garden Parkway west of Charlotte (see 3/14/13 story).

Rep. Paul Stam, an Apex Republican who co-sponsored the Red Route bill, said Wednesday he didn't know yet whether the House would concur with the Senate.

But Tata concurs. In a March 18 letter (attached below) to leaders of both chambers, Tata echoed Rabon's rationale for removing the legislature's authorization for the three turnpike projects. They should, instead, compete for state funds with other highway projects in DOT's data-driven prioritization process – based strictly on cost-benefit calculations and their objective, quantifiable merits.

"The Department believes that all projects should compete with one another for funding and that the best way to do this is through the prioritization process," Tata wrote. So, he said, DOT supports the Senate version of Stam's bill.

Technically, this would not kill the three big toll projects. But it would subject them to stricter standards that the N.C. Turnpike Authority was designed to avoid.

The legislature established the Turnpike Authority, now part of DOT, almost a decade ago. It directed the authority to plan and build a half-dozen projects that would be financed mostly with toll collections. These were expensive roads and bridges that could not successfully compete with other demands for limited state highway funds.

Some of them had languished for decades without hope of state funding. TriEx would have been delayed for another decade or more if state and local leaders had not agreed to build it quickly as a toll road.

There's little reason now to think these three projects can stand on their own merits – especially after their political patrons have lost power in state government. Among them are former legislative titans including Sens. Marc Basnight and David Hoyle, who championed the Currituck bridge and the Garden Parkway, respectively. The original top officials of the Turnpike Authority, who have advanced all three projects over the past several years, have retired from state government in the past few months.

And the legislature is considering another bill that would eliminate the turnpike authority's board altogether.

In his March 18 letter, Tata seemed to go farther than Rabon and the Senate in attacking turnpike projects. Rabon has said he still supports the Monroe Bypass and TriEx. But does Tata support them, too? Without referring to Monroe and the TriEx Southeast Extension, Tata wrote that "all projects" should be subjected to DOT's objective, data-driven process for setting spending priorities.

To make things even more confusing, Tata's letter came just as Gov. Pat McCrory was releasing his proposed budget, which includes continued state funding for the Currituck bridge and the Garden Parkway.

Tata's two predecessors served as chairman of the turnpike board, which has not held a meeting since the fall of 2012. Asked this week to elaborate on his thinking, Tata responded through spokesman Mike Charbonneau, who said he was not available for an interview.

And Charbonneau said the three toll projects targeted by Rabon and Tata are not necessarily dead, either.

"We support any kind of initiative that brings projects back under the prioritization process," Charbonneau said. "In no way is it the belief of the DOT that approving this bill would kill any of those projects."

NCDMV begins issuing licenses to deferred-action illegal immigrants

BruceSiceloff — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 06:53:44 -0400

Young illegal immigrants who have earned a federal reprieve from deportation began visiting NC Division of Motor Vehicles offices across the state Monday to apply for driver's licenses. (Update: See 3/25/13 story: Young immigrants eager for driver's licenses and 3/22/13 story: NCDMV drops pink stripe for immigrant driver's license.)

More than 16,000 teens and young adults in North Carolina will be eligible for two-year licenses because of their participation in the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, for immigrants who entered the United States illegally as children or remained here illegally after their visas expired.

I'm reporting on this today and this week. I would like to speak with young immigrants, including Triangle residents who overstayed their visas, who plan to apply for driver's licenses. Please email me (bruce.siceloff@newsobserver.com) with your name and daytime contact info. Or call me at 919-829-4527.