Remarks for Secretary Tippett
Gaston County meetings regarding the N.C. Turnpike Authority
Thursday, July 21, 2005
2 p.m. and 3 p.m.
City Club of Gastonia, 532 S. New Hope Road, Gastonia, NC
Introduction
Good afternoon.
Bob, thank you for that kind introduction.
You have done an excellent job on the N.C. Turnpike Authority Board and you continue to represent the citizens of this area well.
I also thank Bob Morgan and the Gaston County Chamber of Commerce for inviting us here today and making us feel so welcome.
And thanks to all of you for taking time out of your busy schedules to meet with us here this afternoon to discuss the future of transportation in this area and in North Carolina.
Before I introduce David Joyner, the new executive director of the N.C. Turnpike Authority, I'd like to give you a brief update on the department's recent efforts.
How NCDOT is Working to Meet the State's Transportation Needs
It is no secret that rising construction costs, inflation and tremendous population growth are presenting a challenge for the department to meet the state's transportation needs.
Based on recommendations from a 2001 cash management study commissioned by the General Assembly, we took available cash balances from projects that were delayed and invested them in much-needed projects that were ready to go-which allowed us to take advantage of current construction prices.
With these funds, we created several maintenance programs with far-reaching value known as Senate Bill 1005 and N.C. Moving Ahead!.
As many of you may know, together Moving Ahead! and Senate Bill 1005 have provided more than $1 billion in additional funds to improve North Carolina's highway system-primarily through resurfacing, bridge replacements and traffic signal upgrades.
In addition, we elevated our TIP lettings so citizens could benefit from transportation improvements sooner.
At the same time, however, construction inflation has continued to increase, growing by 30 percent in the last three years alone.
In addition, snow and ice, as well as the unprecedented series of tropical storms that hit our state this past fall, resulted in unforeseen repairs on our roadways and bridges.
Given all these factors, it is essential that we continue to work within our financial constraints, and bring our spending in line with our anticipated revenue.
This situation reinforces the need for more transportation funding in general, and the good news is that we are currently pursuing a number of solutions that will help us accomplish this goal.
To this end, the department has recently formed a new working group known as N.C. Thinking Ahead!.
The goal of the group is to put together realistic recommendations on how we can meet our state's transportation needs over the long term, as well as the short term.
This group brings together a wide range of transportation stakeholders and experts from across the state to examine short-term needs such as safety, maintenance and economic development.
The members of Thinking Ahead! are also charged with studying solutions to help address the resources necessary to implement the new 25-Year Statewide Transportation Plan.
Part of their work involves exploring other innovative funding options such as public-private partnerships and a greater return on donor state money.
We just held our third meeting Tuesday and we are in the process of developing specific recommendations that we plan to present to Gov. Easley by the end of the year.
You'll be happy to know that the House recently passed the Governor's bill for the use of Grant Application Revenue Vehicles (GARVEE) bonds, which would provide about $900 million to be used for federally-funded transportation projects.
These federal bonds would be used to pay for strategic, large projects of significant statewide benefit and would allow us to build projects faster and at a lower cost while freeing up state money for smaller projects throughout North Carolina.
Also, since GARVEE bonds are backed by federal revenue, interest on the bonds would not affect the state's credit rating.
Our current efforts also include pursuing the construction of toll roads, which of course is the subject of today's meeting.
Joining us today is David Joyner, the new executive director of the N.C. Turnpike Authority.
Introduction of David Joyner
David was unanimously approved as the first executive director of the N.C. Turnpike Authority in June 2005.
He brings a wealth of experience in government relations, transportation and business-all of which are critical areas for establishing North Carolina's first toll roads.
He is committed to continuing the momentum of the Authority Board to create transportation projects of lasting value to the state and its citizens.
David's career spans nearly 30 years of experience in federal, state and local government, with assignments as an Intergovernmental and Congressional Relations Officer and as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
He was also the first person to be named the Vice-President of State Government Affairs for Burson-Marsteller, the nation's largest public relations/public affairs firm, a position in which he managed a nationwide corps of lobbyists and oversaw state public affairs strategies for many of the nation's Fortune 500 companies.
In 1994, David moved to Raleigh and co-founded State Capitol Strategies, a fifty-state legislative bill tracking and issue analysis company that was later sold to The Washington Post.
Most recently, he served as a consultant to Womble Carlyle Administration Services.
A native of Rocky Mount and a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in business administration, David currently resides in Raleigh with his wife, Frances. They have an adult son, Worth.
Please join me in welcoming N.C. Turnpike Authority Executive Director David Joyner.
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