North Carolina losing road battle

North Carolina simply can't keep up with highway maintenance and cannot provide needed roads according to David Hartgen, a transportation expert in Charlotte.

A report in the July 9, 2007, Greensboro News-Record quotes Mr. Hartgen's study as ranking North Carolina "ninth worst in the nation for poor pavement conditions on all rural roads and 11th worst for deficient bridges (nearly a third subpar) and for poor pavement conditions on urban interstates.

According to Mr. Hartgen "We're actually losing ground. We have lost the initiative. We have lost the leadership."

In recent comments about the NC DOT and the state of our roads I have said several times that this is a top-down problem in the state and the problem is not going to improve as long as the current administration is in office. Neither the Governor or DOT leaders seem to have any solutions that will produce or find enough funding to solve N.C.'s road problems. We will continue to drive through potholes, see frequent news articles about insufficient funds for road projects and live with serious traffic congestion in all areas of the state for the next few years.

Greensboro News-Record
Jul 9, 2007
Taft Wireback, Staff Writer

N.C. losing speed as roadwork stalls

North Carolina is evolving from the "Good Roads State" to the "Good God State" as it lags behind other parts of the nation in improving urban freeways, rural roads and bridges, said David Hartgen, a transportation expert in Charlotte.

The state simply is not keeping up with others — particularly Texas — that have made stronger commitments to combat congestion and upgrade maintenance, said Hartgen, whose recent national study showed that 72 percent of the Tar Heel state's urban interstates are congested.

"We're actually losing ground," Hartgen said. "We have lost the initiative. We have lost the leadership."

Hartgen, an emeritus professor of transportation studies at UNC-Charlotte, prepared a recently released study for the Reason Foundation, a nonprofit, conservative think tank based in California.

The study found that North Carolina has the most state-maintained miles of highway among all states, a total of almost 80,000 miles, which puts it slightly ahead of former frontrunner Texas.

But Texas is improving its road network with a massive effort to virtually eliminate congestion, while North Carolina is lagging with urban freeways that have the nation's fourth-worst problems with congestion, Hartgen found.

In addition, Hartgen's study ranked North Carolina ninth worst in the nation for poor pavement conditions on all rural roads and 11th worst for deficient bridges (nearly a third subpar) and for poor pavement conditions on urban interstates.

Money is key to the differing approaches in North Carolina and Texas, the numbers in Hartgen's detailed study suggest, with North Carolina raising about $3.5 billion per year to maintain and improve its gigantic system.

By contrast, Texas nets more than $8.6 billion yearly, a significant amount from toll roads, Hartgen said.

The good news for residents of the Greensboro area, Hartgen says, is that it stands out for generally being in better shape than the rest of the state.

New sections of the Urban Loop will be opened this year, routing Interstate 40 around the city and linking the airport area more effectively with Interstate 85.

And unlike most others in North Carolina, the Greensboro-area Metropolitan Planning Organization has a solid, well-thought-out plan for combatting gridlock, Hartgen said.

"Greensboro gets good marks, although they have a too-high percentage of money set aside for public transit," said Hartgen, who said he thinks cities need serviceable systems — but not elaborate ones — for those who have no other way of getting around.

Hartgen is particularly dismissive of regional transit proposals aimed at forging a commuter rail link between Greensboro and Winston-Salem.

"It's just silly talk," he said. "The feds simply aren't going to fund it."

Hartgen said the reality is that people drive cars most places, and alternative modes of travel rank a distant second for the majority of residents.

That means lots of people in lots of cars — which, Hartgen said, is a pretty good definition of congestion in places where roads are not wide enough for traffic volumes or are not effectively maintained.

"We are creating a culture of congestion," he said. "If you ask 100 people what's the biggest transportation problem, 90 say congestion. Yet there is no serious plan to reduce congestion in any of our cities."

Copyright © 2007, The News & Record and Landmark Communications, Inc. Original article...