Approved by all but four counties in the Nov. 5 election, a $950 million bond to improve and expand the state's road system has received mixed reaction from N.C. residents and political leaders.
The bond earmarks $500 million for the construction of urban loops around North Carolina's seven largest cities, including Durham. The bond also allocates $300 million to enlarge the state's two-lane highways and $150 million to pave secondary roads in all counties.
Local proponents of the bond cite the current condition of state roads as reason for their support.
"We supported the road bonds because many of our roads are overcrowded," said Phil Kirk, president of North Carolina Citizens for Business and Industry, adding that the extra funding will help to improve the safety of roads throughout the state.
Durham resident Ronnie Norman said he voted in favor of the bond primarily because of poor road conditions. "There are a lot of roads out here that are a mess," he said.
Terry Suit, a 38-year-old manager in the engineering department of Northern Telecom, said he voted in favor of the bond for the same reason, but added that it was a difficult decision.
Opponents of the bond, which was not approved in Durham and Orange counties, suggested that the bond does not address the state's most pressing transportation needs.
"We also felt it was an unbalanced proposal because there's no money for maintaining current roads and no money for [public] transit," said Bill Holden, a lobbyist for the N.C. chapter of the Sierra Club.
Many said public transportation, not new roads, should be the state's top priority.
"North Carolina needs a transportation mix," said N.C. House Representative Paul Luebke. "People in the Triangle area need to be able to choose between transit" and highway travel.
Kirk said public transportation is a priority for the state, but that the General Assembly will not enact legislation on public transportation until it has received and evaluated a report from Transit 2001, a commission established in March 1994 by Gov. Jim Hunt to study mass transit.
But Luebke went on to say that he supports public transportation as an option for N.C. citizens for numerous reasons, including the potentially detrimental effect that the construction of highways has on the environment.
"We believe that speeding up construction of urban sprawl and outer loops would increase air [and] water pollution," Holden said.
Frank Hyman, a Durham City Council member, also took issue with the imminent construction. "I think that the road building is going too fast as it is," he said. "The loops displace a lot of homes, businesses and natural areas that should be preserved."
Groups on both sides of the issue developed lobbying initiatives to sway public opinion. Opponents of the bond, however, pointed to funding differentials as one of the reasons for the bond's passage. Luebke said proponents of the bond had 200 times the amount of funding as the No Highway Bonds committee, a coalition created for the purpose of defeating the road bond.
"If we had half of the money of the other side, we would've defeated the bond," Luebke said, adding that large commercial firms supported the bond and were able to lobby more effectively.
"The highway lobby prevailed over the environment lobby," Holden said.
Although lobbyists expressed concern with funding, some Durham residents said they simply did not have enough information about the bond.
Robin Ellerbe, a 31-year-old Army officer who voted against the bond, said it was not publicized as much as other election issues. "If you're a taxpayer and it can affect you, you want to have more information about it before voting," he said.
Jon Padgham, a graduate student at North Carolina State University, said he voted against the bond because it shifted power away from taxpayers. "I feel that the roads really weren't needed and the [Department of Transportation] has too much power in state government," he said. "The people weren't in control."
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