 JOHN
CULBERTSON
NC Turnpike Authority
By George MacBain
Today we were treated
to an overview of alternative roadway solutions for the state of
North Carolina from John Culbertson. John is a Charlotte native, son
of Rotarian Bob Culbertson and brother in law of Rotarian Ken
Samuelson, President of Cardinal Real Estate Partners of Raleigh,
and associated with NCDOT through his involvement with the North
Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA).
The Authority was chartered by the NC General Assembly in 1995 with
authority to: condemn property for public roads; contract for
construction, maintenance and operation; issue bonds; collect tolls
and fees; and enter into partnership with private entities.
Restrictions include: no tolls on existing roads; every toll road
must have a fee alternate route; and tolls removed once debt is
paid.
There are currently 6 such roads being considered for construction
including the following:
- Triangle
Expressway: 19 mile planned toll road extending from
I-40 between Chapel Hill, Cary and Raleigh ending at US
Highway #1. The cost estimate is $858mm and construction
will begin in 2008 and open in 2012.
- Mid
Currituck Bridge: 7 mile mostly bridge planned roadway
connecting Corolla and Duck to the mainland at a cost of
$461mm. Construction will begin in 2010 and open to
traffic in 2013.
- Garden
Parkway: 6.8 mile planned road connecting I-85 to I-485
bypassing Gastonia and providing easier access to the
airport. The cost is $410mm and construction will begin
in 2011 and open for traffic in 2015.
- Monroe
Connector Bypass: 21 mile planned roadway connecting
I-485 and highway 74 east at Marshville bypassing Monroe
and Wingate. The cost is $553mm with construction to
start 2010 and open to traffic in 2014.
- Cape Fear
Skyway: 9.5 mile roadway planned to connect Wilmington
to Highway 17 crossing the Cape Fear River. This will
cost $744mm and begin construction in 2010 and open in
2015.
- Yadkin
River Bridge: 6.8 mile planned replacement of a
dangerous and narrow stretch of I-85 over the Yadkin
River. The cost is $350mm to begin in 2008 and be
completed in 2011.
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The primary reasons tolls
are being considered are:
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- Our state
is one of the fastest growing in the nation and will
have passed Virginia, Georgia, Ohio and Michigan by the
year 2030 becoming one of the nation's top 7 most
populated states. During the period from 1985 to 2005,
travel miles increased 120% for our roadway users yet
new roadways were increased by just fewer than 10%.
- Costs are
soaring as construction costs increased 45% since 2005
alone!
- The
resources the state and federal government have
available are not nearly enough to keep pace of demand
for roads. It is forecasted NC will have a $65b
shortfall over the next 25 years and to fund the
projects without tolls we would need to raise the gas
tax from $.30 to $.75 per gallon and that is not going
to happen.
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Today tolling is being used in
33 other US states and every major $500mm+ project is being built
with tolls. Operationally drivers will not stop to pay but simply
have a bar code on their car that will be read and charged to your
credit card. The cost of most tolls is in the $1.00 to $1.50 range
depending on the project and traffic usage.
Financing the roads is made possible in two ways: a combination of
bonds to finance up to 70% of the cost of the project (30 to 40 year
bonds) and securing the remaining from a) state treasuries or b)
NCDOT partnering up with private entity. The advantages to a private
partnership is no taxpayer money used yet the real disadvantage is a
higher cost of capital and loss of control (private investor wants a
long term return and can control the toll charges and quality of the
road).
This was a very interesting topic and a good look into the future of
how NC will finance some of our badly needed road projects.
Head Table:
Chip Scholz, Suzanne Bledsoe, Luther Moore, Ken Samuelson, Skip
Berry, Charlie Pitts; Invocation: Dale LeCount
Visitors &
Guests:
Worth Williamson; Health & Happiness: Randall Groves; Song: Meg
McElwain
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Rotary Club of Charlotte
841 Baxter Street, Suite 118, Charlotte 28202
chltrot@bellsouth.net 704-375-6816 |
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Thanks to Police Chief Darrell
Stephens for what he provides to the community
and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
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David Erdman
was photographed while attending a reception hosted by U.S.
Trust (Suzanne Bledsoe)
at the Duke Mansion.
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Herb and Karen Harriss
are proud grandparents of Everett James Harriss, born April
2nd to Sally and Drew Harriss; Thanks to JA Exchange City
volunteers for March: Budd Berro,
Tom Robertson and Bob
Webb.
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ROSTER Updates: David
Anderson:
danderso1@carolina.rr.com;
Bob Johnston:
robert.p.johnston@nccourts.org,
832 E. 4th St, Ste 9600, 704-686-0103;
Todd Owens: 832 E. 4th St, Ste 9600,
704-686-0101; Charlie Raubacher:
PB, 121 W. Trade St., Ste 1950 (28202), 704-342-5416,
raubacher@pbworld.com;
Rob Thomas:
rcmthomas@carolina.com.
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Membership co-chairs Marilynn
Bowler and Natalie
English conducted the quarterly drawing to
recognize those who have brought in new members. Prizes were
awarded to Wes Clark, Mac McCarley,
Tom Cottingham, Sadler Barnhardt, Gregg Walker, Floyd Davis,
Natalie English, Ron Campbell, Cecily Durrett,
and Craig Simpson.
Thanks to all who provided tickets/prizes. |
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NEW MEMBER
PROFILE |
Nancy M.
Roberson
Mecklenburg County Bar
438 Queens Rd (28207)
704-375-8624
nroberson@meckbar.org
Classification: Association Management, Legal
Nancy Michael Roberson is the Executive Director of the
Mecklenburg Bar Foundation and the Mecklenburg County Bar that
serves close to 4,000 attorneys. She also volunteers for
Pathways - a local nonprofit that oversees providers of mental
health, substance abuse and developmental disability services
for the 160,000 plus citizens of Lincoln, Cleveland and Gaston
counties and is currently the board chair. Nancy is a Charlotte
native and has worked with volunteers and fundraising in various
capacities that include such places as Goodwill Industries, Duke
University, UNC School of Law and Thompson Children's Home. She
earned her BA and MS from UNC Chapel Hill and another MS from
ECU, Greenville, NC. Nancy lives with her husband David, their 3
children and 5 dogs on family land in Lincoln County.
Nancy Michael Roberson is the Executive Director of the
Mecklenburg Bar Foundation and the Mecklenburg County Bar that
serves close to 4,000 attorneys. She also volunteers for
Pathways - a local nonprofit that oversees providers of mental
health, substance abuse and developmental disability services
for the 160,000 plus citizens of Lincoln, Cleveland and Gaston
counties and is currently the board chair. Nancy is a Charlotte
native and has worked with volunteers and fundraising in various
capacities that include such places as Goodwill Industries, Duke
University, UNC School of Law and Thompson Children's Home. She
earned her BA and MS from UNC Chapel Hill and another MS from
ECU, Greenville, NC. Nancy lives with her husband David, their 3
children and 5 dogs on family land in Lincoln County. |
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Attendance
Record |
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4/03/07 |
4/04/06 |
| visitors &
guests |
10 |
4 |
| club
members |
152 |
156 |
| total
attendance |
162 |
160 |
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New Members | Resignations |
Tom Hodges
Tom Templeton
Liz Irwin
Jeff Blackey |
n/a |
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Wedding
Anniversaries |
10 Stacy and Mike Hummer
11 Kelley and Robert Kirk
12 Ada and John Nicolay
15 Robin and Robert Freeman
16 Barbara and Bob Knight |
| Birthdays and
Birthplaces |
10 Russell Ranson, Durham, NC
11 Peggy Wesp, Bend, OR
12 Carroll Gray, Greenville, SC
16 Will Barnhardt,
Wilmington, DE |
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