Thank you, Bachman, for that introduction.
It’s a pleasure to be here.
It’s very clear that everyone here today takes great pride in this region—and with much reason.
Because of the high quality of life, more and more people are calling Cabarrus County home.
This area, in fact, is one of the fastest growing regions in the state—over the last 10 years, Cabarrus County has experienced a 32 percent population increase.
I commend this group for taking such a proactive role in your future and for putting this transportation summit together.
As leaders, you recognize the important connection between growth and transportation.
My goal, as Chief Deputy Secretary of the N.C. Department of Transportation, is to work with Secretary Tippett to help Governor Easley fulfill his vision for One North Carolina by bringing quality transportation within reach of EVERYONE.
In support of this goal, we have planned a VIGOROUS AGENDA for improving transportation across our state during the next four years.
In one word, this agenda is about PROGRESS.
To help us stay focused on what’s important, we’ve produced these agenda cards, which outline the department’s nine goals and commitments.
As you can see, MAINTENANCE is at the top of the list.
During the last 50 years, this department invested great effort in road building, earning the name of "THE GOOD ROADS STATE."
This investment certainly paid off because our roads have played a vital role in our state’s growth.
But if we want to keep up with the needs of our growing population, we must be able to maintain the roads that we build.
I’m sure all of you are aware of our state’s budget shortfall, which makes meeting our maintenance needs particularly challenging.
We’re doing all we can to reduce this shortfall, starting with internal efficiencies and I’m pleased to say that already we have made much progress.
Some of the efficiencies that we’ve implemented include:
All of these initiatives will strengthen our operations as well as improve our efficiency.
We’ve also been working with the General Assembly on our maintenance backlog.
There is legislation in the works that would move at least $150 million each year for the next three years from the Highway Trust Fund for pavement preservation.
Maintenance is a statewide issue; however, there are other transportation challenges that differ from our urban to our rural regions.
Attacking these challenges requires a specialized approach.
For urban areas such as the Cabarrus County and metro Charlotte regions, it’s very simple.
We must REDUCE THE CARS on our roads.
Traffic congestion is frustrating for everyone—it is unproductive, it raises our stress level and it creates unsafe conditions along our highways.
In June, we announced measures to improve traffic flow along I-40 in the Triangle and I-77 in Charlotte—two of the most congested highways in the state.
In the Triangle, we determined that HOV lanes would not work for I-40 at this time; however, we are taking other steps including the construction of a temporary connector road from I-540 to Slater Road to provide relief until I-540 is extended to N.C. 55.
In Charlotte, we’re currently examining the feasibility of an HOV lane along I-77, which will help ease congestion by increasing capacity.
We’re also looking at ways to reduce congestion along I-85 in this area.
Last year, NCDOT, in partnership with regional transportation and planning agencies, initiated a study addressing peak-period congestion on I-85 in Mecklenburg and Cabarrus Counties.
It focused primarily on the area from exit 43 in Charlotte (US-29/NC-49 Connector) to exit 58 in Concord (the US-29/601 interchange).
The study identified projects that can provide immediate congestion relief—such as the widening of I-85 from 4 to 8 lanes— as well as action steps toward longer-term solutions.
The study is complete—and we are now working with Cabarrus/South Rowan and the Charlotte/Mecklenburg MPOs to implement these steps.
Because new construction alone cannot solve traffic congestion, we are also continuing to implement intelligent transportation systems (or ITS) as an alternative to new construction.
ITS is the application of communications technology to transportation.
Across the state, the department has installed more than 125 traffic cameras, 60 variable message signs, and 15 highway advisory radios to keep motorists informed about travel delays and to provide information on alternate routes.
We manage these systems from four regional transportation management centers across the state.
Our newest and most advanced Transportation Management Center is now operational in the Charlotte area.
From this center, NCDOT works with law enforcement and emergency response agencies in a coordinated effort to help traffic move as smoothly as possible.
One of the most exciting projects in the works is our "511" initiative.
This effort will work in conjunction with our already successful Traveler Information Management System (TIMS) website to provide automated and up-to-date travel information to motorists across the state accessible from one easy to remember number.
The 511 system in North Carolina will include highway, transit, ferry, rail and tourism information and will begin with a pilot project in the Triad area.
In support of our ITS initiatives, the General Assembly is considering legislation that would provide $15 million to construct and install high-end technologies such as closed loop traffic signal systems, vehicle detection technology and incident management systems.
These technologies will help but we must also do all we can to offer citizens an alternative to the car—which brings me to our next priority, the development of a MASS TRANSIT SYSTEM.
A mass transit system will not only improve congestion, it will also help us better plan for the future.
That’s why we will continue to push for an expansion of rail and public transportation across our state.
Here in Cabarrus County you have the Concord Express, a commuter bus service which is sponsored by the Cities of Concord and Charlottte.
I understand that ridership has increased by 40 percent over the last year—congratulations on your success.
I know that you’re also working with the Charlotte Area Transit System to develop a fixed guideway system across this region.
Partnerships like these are important because they will form the groundwork for an integrated statewide mass transit system.
At NCDOT, we’ve got exciting plans in the works for passenger rail in the WESTERN AND THE EASTERN parts of our state.
In March we unveiled our plan to bring passenger rail back to Western North Carolina.
This five-phase plan includes operating a bus service from Salisbury to Asheville, renovating or building train stations and beginning passenger rail service in 2005.
In May, we released the results of a study on the feasibility of passenger rail for southeastern North Carolina.
While the work initially focused on a Wilmington to Charlotte rail service, the study ultimately revealed that interest is greater for a rail service that would connect Wilmington residents to the Northeast U.S. Corridor and Raleigh.
Based on this information, we are now analyzing three routes: Wilmington to Charlotte; Wilmington to Fayetteville and Raleigh; and Wilmington to Goldsboro to Raleigh.
On a national level, North Carolina has been working with Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia to extend HIGH SPEED RAIL from Washington D.C.—first to Richmond, Raleigh and Charlotte, then Charlotte to Atlanta/Macon and finally from Raleigh to Columbia, Savannah and Jacksonville.
Already North Carolina and Virginia have begun the first round of environmental studies necessary to develop this system.
We’re currently working with Congress to secure a dedicated funding source for high-speed rail systems, specifically Senate Bill 250, and its companion bill, House Resolution 2329.
This legislation would authorize Amtrak to sell $12 billion in bonds during the next 10 years and North Carolina could be eligible for $500-700 million of that.
These funds would be used to:
While the legislation would provide significant new money to improve passenger rail services, it also would benefit freight rail operations since most passenger trains operate on freight tracks.
As we consider transportation needs statewide, we’re also focusing on our RURAL AREAS.
While our urban areas are continuing to enjoy economic growth, our rural communities have lagged behind.
This is unacceptable because it was our farm roads that helped build our state by MOVING GOODS to the MARKETPLACE.
I strongly believe that farm roads can now become the spokes in the economic development wheel.
That’s why I am committed to providing the transportation infrastructure necessary to support industry across the state.
The 2002-2008 Transportation Improvement Program—approved by the Board of Transportation in June will help by setting aside $140 million in a special fund to support industrial growth.
This fund will allow DOT to work with the Department of Commerce to fulfill economic needs without negatively affecting other projects in the TIP.
Another strength for our rural areas is Roger Sheats, the department’s first-ever Deputy Secretary for the Environment, Planning and Local Government Affairs.
He will work with rural and metropolitan planning organizations to build a unified planning network and improve coordination of transportation improvements with local governments.
Having Roger on our team is very valuable because he also shares our deep commitment to protecting and improving North Carolina’s great natural resources—which is another priority on the agenda.
When transportation improvements are planned early and with great care, we not only PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT, we can also improve it.
With this aim, we’ll be expanding efforts that protect what makes our state so special—from wetland and stream restoration, to wildflower and beautification projects.
Another benchmark in our environmental efforts is our recent Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources.
This agreement lays a solid foundation for expanded cooperation between our two departments.
DOT and DENR will now combine efforts to minimize impacts to the environment, and at the same time, move forward with much-needed transportation improvements.
Building roads in North Carolina’s unique natural and cultural environment requires an extraordinarily high level of interagency cooperation.
Securing timely environmental approvals and permits is one of the department’s greatest challenges.
The General Assembly recognizes this challenge and they are currently considering legislation that would provide $15 million each year for the next three years to develop "shelf" projects.
These funds would be used for the design and environmental work to develop transportation projects that could be ready for construction when other projects are delayed.
This covers the highlights of our agenda for improving transportation across the state—at this time, I’ll touch briefly on a major federal initiative.
I’m speaking of the reauthorization of TEA-21—or the Transportation Efficiency Act for the 21st century.
This is the federal authorization that sets the framework for how transportation funding is allocated during a six-year period.
The current act is set to expire in 2003 and already plans are underway to set the guidelines for the new act.
NCDOT, along with AASHTO, or the American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials and other states and interest groups, are collaborating on this effort.
What’s exciting about this process is that we have before us an opportunity to help shape the transportation future of not just North Carolina but our nation as well.
Our top three objectives are as follows:
As you can see, we have a great deal of work ahead of us.
Our funding limitations—federal and state—emphasize the need for creative thinking and proactive planning.
Meetings like this are important because they give the department a chance to hear from leaders like you.
It’s more important than ever that NCDOT and the Cabarrus County Regional Chamber of Commerce continue to work together as PARTNERS for the good of transportation in our state.
You can help by making the nine goals on these cards YOUR NINE GOALS.
Make this agenda YOUR AGENDA AND HELP US MOVE NORTH CAROLINA FORWARD.
Together we can build the kind of transportation system that strengthens our state and will make One North Carolina a reality.
Thank you for inviting me to join you today.