By Jeff Atkinson - bio l email
CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) Pick your progress. North Carolina lawmakers say highways are the way of the future and that's where they want to put their focus in these tight times.
They're unveiling an uber-frugal budget plan that, some say, kicks Charlotte's mass transit system into reverse.
Senate Republicans just rolled out a budget that some believe stops Charlotte's light rail dead in its tracks - virtually squashing any hope of extending the line across our community.
Instead, their budget that emphasizes repairing our roads. Not building new transportation options.
But it's not just trains. It's toll roads as well that are getting whacked.
In the race between trains and cars, a vote for cars - sort of.
The State Budget just released by the North Carolina Senate yanks out money for three Charlotte area transportation projects.
Citizens who've come out in force against the Garden Parkway, who've led protests and taken out ads which say "Stop the toll road to nowhere" see this as a victory.
"We aren't against transportation by any stretch of the imagination. But there are a limited amount of dollars and we want to see those dollars used wisely," says Bill Toole, a city councilman in Belmont and a toll road opponent.
Opponents of the Garden Parkway believe the toll road isn't needed. They'd rather see I-85 widened through Gaston county.
As it stands now in the Senate's budget money from the Garden Parkway would go to build urban loops (like Charlotte's I-485).
Republicans in charge in the Senate say they're looking spend more money on highway maintenance and bridge repair, which is why they've released a budget with no money for Charlotte's light rail extension.
And that doesn't sit well with CATS chief Carolyn Flowers.
"It's a very big hit to us," said Flowers.
CATS built the light rail line to South Charlotte and planned to build out its transit system through a combination of federal dollars, state money, and the local half-cent transit tax.
But if state money is out of the picture, federal dollars are unlikely to follow.
CATS planned to start construction on the LYNX line to the University in two years putting it in jeopardy.
"We'll probably move out the timeline on the project and stretch it out.. we haven't even probably come to the date we could do it then," said Flowers.
However, it's not a done deal says Transportation Secretary Gene Conti.
"I trust that when the leadership gets together they'll figure out they need to be supportive of these kinds of efforts," said Conti.
The Senate's budget will be voted on next week and then has to be reconciled with the House budget.
Supporters of the Garden Parkway and the rail projects are hoping to get money back in the budget.
House Speaker Thom Tillis told reporters today he believes rail money will be in the General Assembly's final spending plan.
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