Thank you for that introduction.
And, thank you all for inviting me to speak with you tonight.
Having served on the Board of Transportation with Gordon Myers for eight years, I'm familiar with the Ingles Corporation -- and you have a lot to be proud of.
I want to start off by congratulating all the award recipients tonight.
I'm told that Ingles' truck drivers drive more than 12.5 million miles each year throughout six southeastern states.
As an accountant, I'm a numbers person -- so let's put that into perspective.
That is equivalent to driving from here to California and back 2,857 times.
That's a lot of miles -- and a lot of time away from home.
I think your spouses deserve special recognition, too.
Let's give them a round of applause.
I brought each of you a copy of our new state transportation map to use in your travels.
Everyone here tonight knows the importance of safety in the workplace and on our highways.
I understand we have dispatchers, insurance carriers and equipment operators with us tonight, as well as drivers and mechanics -- and it takes all of you working together to be successful.
We all have a responsibility to do our jobs safely -- and that's even more important when you are driving or maintaining a commercial vehicle.
It is the North Carolina Department of Transportation's responsibility to provide you with a safe, well-maintained highway system to get you to your destination.
And we are working diligently to provide such a system.
Earlier this month, I presented the Board of Transportation with the Department's summary of accomplishments for last year.
These accomplishments are based on the nine goals and commitments I have outlined for the Department.
I had these agenda cards printed to serve as a quick reference and help us stay focused on our main objectives.
I'm pleased to say that we made great strides towards improving transportation in North Carolina.
I'd like to share with you a few of our top accomplishments -- including increased funds for maintenance and completion of a number of highway construction and maintenance projects across the state.
I'd like to start with my number one priority -- reducing the maintenance backlog.
While the state's budget shortfall makes meeting our maintenance needs challenging, the Department is taking steps to ensure these needs are met.
We worked closely with the General Assembly last year to get landmark legislation passed that will enable the department to move about $420 million from our cash balances to use for heavy maintenance work.
We're excited about this legislation -- which is the most significant legislation passed since the Highway Trust Fund in 1989.
In the first year alone, this will allow us to improve about 400 miles of highway -- and we aren't wasting anytime getting started.
Already, the Board of Transportation has approved resurfacing projects totaling $160 million to improve highways throughout the state.
These projects will begin as soon as weather permits.
In addition, the Department completed a number of highway maintenance projects across the state -- including rehabilitation projects on:
Preserving our highways is more important than ever as we expand our system to meet the needs of our citizens.
Last year, the Department completed numerous highway construction projects across the state.
Some of the most notable projects are:
We also awarded and began construction on the widening of 1-77 from four to eight lanes north of Charlotte -- the state's first design-build highway project.
The design-build process enables the contractor to make innovations and efficiencies that can reduce costs and speed up a project.
For example, the I-77 project will be complete two years sooner than originally scheduled under traditional methods.
In addition, the Department just completed the environmental process on the widening of I-26 in Henderson County and we anticipate awarding the project later this year as a design-build project.
Other design-build projects include the U.S. 64 Knightdale Bypass, widening of I-85 north of Charlotte and the I-85/Ruin Creek Road interchange in Vance County.
We selected these projects because they have minimal environmental impacts and work will be performed within existing right of way.
I have more good news.
The Department is working to automate commercial vehicle weight and safety inspections with concepts such as, weigh in motion and in-vehicle transponders for instant electronic vehicle data transfer.
We recently implemented the state's first weigh-in-motion technology at the Hillsborough weigh station on I-85 North.
Eventually, all weigh stations will be equipped with these technologies.
Before I close, I'd like to mention our aggressive work zone safety program -- since the focus of tonight's event is safety.
This program is aimed at rising awareness about safety in the work zone on both sides of the barrel -- for motorists as well as DOT workers.
There are more than 400 major work zones in North Carolina.
On average, 29 people die each year in work zones in our state, and that is too many.
Even one death is too many.
The first phase of our safety campaign focused on speeding through the work zone.
Our next phase will be launched in April in conjunction with Work Zone Safety Awareness month.
It will focus on the importance of paying attention in the work zone, and uses the slogan "Pay Attention or Pay the Price" as a reminder of this fact.
I ask you to please help spread the word about the importance of work zone safety.
I know I'm preaching to the choir -- and I'm certain you agree with me when I say that a good transportation system is the backbone of the state's economy.
Companies like Ingles depend on it to be able to deliver goods and services to citizens, and we all depend on our transportation system for access to jobs and healthcare.
We are working hard to provide citizens with a safe and well-maintained transportation system that fosters economic growth and prosperity for all areas of the state.
I have enjoyed being with you tonight to share with you what your Department of Transportation is doing for you.
Keep up the good work.