Monday, Nov. 09, 2009

Perdue ready to appease Charlotte

Gov. Bev Perdue is scheduled to outline a plan this morning to finish construction of the Interstate 485 loop around Charlotte using what an administration official says is a novel financing method that won't touch money slated for other road projects.

Officials said Sunday that Perdue is scheduled to reveal the financing method that would pay for the last segment of the loop, between N.C. 115 and Interstate 85 in northeast Charlotte. The price tag is estimated at $220 million.

The financing method has never been used in North Carolina, and it won't touch money set aside for scheduled improvements to Independence Boulevard or any other local project, according to Chrissy Pearson, Perdue's press secretary.

Charlotte Mayor-elect Anthony Foxx, a Democrat, said he didn't know many details of the funding plan. But he said completing the loop would "not only help with mobility in the region," but also help repair historically strained relations between Charlotte and state leaders in Raleigh.

Outgoing Mayor Pat McCrory - who was Perdue's Republican opponent in last year's election - said Sunday he didn't have many details, either. But he said he was proud of the teamwork between city and state officials that led to today's announcement.

He said he was pleased the plan would "make sure the project is not completed by stealing money from other projects. The governor's office heard that message loud and clear."

Construction on the 65-mile loop began in 1988 and was scheduled to be finished by 2003. But delays and competition for money from other cities kept pushing out the completion date..

Road-building slowed as Charlotte's population and traffic multiplied, infuriating drivers and feeding a lingering sense that the city gets shortchanged by state leaders in Raleigh.

During her campaign last year, Perdue, a Democrat from the coastal city of New Bern, pledged a closer relationship with Charlotte. In February, she visited the city and promised construction on the unfinished portion of the loop would start by the end of the year.

The promise was met with a mix of celebration and skepticism.

The economy then nosedived, and state revenue tanked along with it. Within a matter of weeks, Perdue's administration was edging back from the promise.

State officials in May proposed paying for the last segment of the loop - expected to carry 130,000 cars a day by 2030 - by sacrificing money for Independence Boulevard.

Local officials vehemently rejected the idea.

During a September interview, Perdue seemed to express frustration at the feedback from Charlotte. "When I was campaigning, all I heard was '485, 485, 485.' I never heard 'Independence Boulevard,'" she said.

Days later, though, she emphasized that she was pushing her transportation department to craft an agreeable plan to finish the loop.

At the announcement today, Perdue will be joined by state transportation Secretary Gene Conti and other officials.