- NCDOT Proposes $300 Million In Community Benefits To Win Support For I-77 South Express Project
- I-66 Slugging Network Forms In Northern Virginia
- Pennsylvania Turnpike Begins Month-Long Allegheny Tunnel Maintenance Project
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NCDOT Proposes $300 Million In Community Benefits To Win Support For I-77 South Express Project
According to Charlotte businessman Malcomb Coley, who organized a private meeting between NCDOT Secretary Daniel Johnson and select community leaders earlier this month, the department is suggesting that $300 million worth of community benefits be added to the $4.3 billion I-77 South Express Lanes project. Coley cited a DOT consultant as the source of the information. The package is intended to garner support from residents who otherwise would be adversely affected by the project and help persuade local delegates to the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CRTPO) to reinstate their support for it, WFAE News reports.
“The state is contributing $600 million toward the $4.3 billion project. The private company selected to build the toll lanes would be responsible for financing the remaining $3.7 billion. Adding as much as $300 million in community benefits would increase the amount needing to be financed by roughly 8%, with toll revenue expected to repay those costs over time. While community benefits agreements are common in development projects, the scale of this proposal appears unusual for a transportation project in North Carolina.”
The proposal includes support for two grocery stores already backed by area nonprofits. Other amenities envisioned by NCDOT include “bike lanes, greenways, recreation space and a concrete cap over part of the highway near uptown.”
Charlotte NC Metro Region Express Lanes North Carolina North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) North Carolina Turnpike Authority P3 Privatization & Private OwnershipI-66 Slugging Network Forms In Northern Virginia
With funding from USDOT, residents’ groups have joined forces with employers and public agencies in Northern Virginia to create the I-66 Slugging Network to encourage carpooling in the busy commuting corridor.
“Sometimes referred to as ‘instant carpooling’ or ‘casual carpooling,’ slugging is a form of carpooling with no scheduling or commitments,” the network explains. “Drivers will pick up riders (also known as ‘slugs’) at slug lines to use HOV/Express lanes without paying tolls. It’s free, fast, and has been the norm for Northern Virginia commuters along I-95 for decades.”
FFXNow reports that the new network is working to build public awareness about the practice. On September 14, it will kick off an I-66 Slugging Challenge, which offers participation incentives and up to $1,000 in prizes. “Slugging pickup and drop-off locations were selected based on commuter demand, access to the I-66 Express Lanes, the ability to provide direct trips and presence of backup transit options.”
66 Express Lanes (Outside DC Beltway) Carpooling Express Lanes US Department of Transportation (USDOT) Virginia Washington (DC) Metro RegionPennsylvania Turnpike Begins Month-Long Allegheny Tunnel Maintenance Project
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) has started four weeks of annual routine maintenance at the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel (milepost 122).
The work will require overnight traffic restrictions from Monday through Thursday each week. Beginning at 8:00 PM, maintenance crews will close one of the tunnel’s two tubes, with bi-directional, single-lane traffic directed through the other tube. The normal traffic pattern will resume each morning at 6:00 AM. The overnight maintenance is expected to continue through the morning of Friday, August 20.
PTC stated that the temporary traffic restrictions are necessary to protect workers. It advises motorists traveling the turnpike at night to be prepared for the modified traffic pattern.
Early last month, a smoky, single-vehicle fire in the tunnel set off a motorist and passenger evacuation and an overnight closure of an 86-mile segment of the turnpike mainline. PTC concluded that the incident caused no structural damage to the tunnel.
PTC is considering a controversial plan to replace the functionally obsolete tunnel with a new segment of mainline roadway cut through a 250-foot-deep gorge at the top of Allegheny Mountain. The project faces opposition from area residents, environmentalists, and members of a hunting and fishing club whose property would be bifurcated by the new roadway.
Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Maintenance Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC)Subscription Information
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