New Triangle Parkway Impacts Us All

The planned Triangle Parkway is a 3.5 mile, 4 lane toll road, connecting I-40 to I-540, and serves to capture traffic into the toll system that continues on the I-540 South. Why should orange County residents care?

  • The cost is high, without a clear benefit. This project is priced at $24 million per year for 40 years for a total of over $960 million (according to NC Highway Authority), in addition to toll collection, while Neither of the two Metropolitan Planning Organizations (CAMPO and DCHC) thought this roadway high enough priority to fund it. Does it make sense to build these roads given the $960 million cost and competing public transit needs?
  • This short road actually impairs connectivity. The I-40/ Alexander Drive spur will be eliminated, forcing traffic onto already crowded 54/55 and Davis Drive intersections.

· This road encourages sprawl development into rural Durham and Wake Counties is being encouraged. While the models anticipate this road easy congestion on I-40, no models have taken growth spurred by the new road and the new I-540 into account.

  • This project sets a dangerous precedent by avoiding the normal Environmental Impact Statement. Despite being a major, high-traffic, 4-lane road, within 350 feet of a daycare and a wetland the project is one of the first to go through a process of conducting a minimal Environmental Assessment, hoping to avoid a more extensive Environmental Impact Statement. Normally a full Environmental Impact Statement is required, as was completed for the I-540 South project, for new road of this size.

I understand roads are necessary, given the geography of our economy in the triangle, but can’t we be more thoughtful then this? With the congestion and sprawl we are now facing, we should know the danger of not taking the time to carefully consider our decisions and vet options. The Triangle Turnpike is simply more of the same old same old. Please ask your representatives to vote “NO” on S1352 and other turnpike gap funding legislation in the 2008 legislative session. http://www.wral.com/traffic/story/2125217/http://www.ncturnpike.org/pdf/Triangle-Parkway-Environmental-Assessment-Feb2008.pdfhttp://www.newsobserver.com/news/growth/traffic/story/943737.html

Issues: 

Comments

I thought we lived in North Carolina and not New Jersey

These are all very good points in opposition to this. Additionally,  the Turnpike Authority appears to be low-balling the anticipated toll charges in recent presentations to concerned groups in the RTP. In those sessions a figure of $0.30 each way was stated as the likely toll for a trip of  between NC147 and Hopson Road.  The Authority's  Preliminary Traffic and Revenue Study Final Report  used a figure of  $1.00 each way to project revenues (hence, justify the project). See page 4-7 of the report at:

http://www.ncturnpike.org/projects/Triangle_Parkway/documents.asp

quick fixes are not the answer

I completely agree. How dumb is to to toll a 3.5 mile stretch of an entire interstate loop? The first toll road in NC should not be a short stretch of road that simply increases already growing traffic problems and raises fees for commuters who are struggling with gas prices.

 

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