June 9. Tonight’s Davidson Town Board meeting may be another litmus test in the battle to defund the $650 million plan to widen I-77 between Lake Norman and Charlotte with the help of toll lanes and a company from Spain. Town Commissioner James Fuller is expected to propose a resolution that backs NC Sen. Jeff […]
By Dave Vieser. With Pat McCrory’s election in 2012 and Republicans holding a majority in the state legislature, things seemed to be looking up for Lake Norman. With a strong GOP lineup came expectations of increased help from Raleigh for critical infrastructure needs, especially in the transportation spectrum. Two years later, town boards around Lake Norman, […]
June 2. By Dave Vieser. The Cornelius Town Board unanimously passed a strongly worded resolution calling on the asCDOT to terminate its contract with Spanish based Cintra/I-77 Mobility Partners to build toll lanes on I-77. The board also said it would consider joining the lawsuit filed by Widen I-77 seeking to halt the toll lanes planned for […]
You might call it a sea change—a broad transformation—that is under way at the upper levels of Cornelius power: Kurt Naas and the Widen I-77 lawsuit against the toll lanes is now on the agenda for discussion at Monday night’s Town Board meeting. Naas will have 30 minutes to outline the suit which seeks to stop the […]
ANALYSIS. May 26. An “I-77 Business Transportation Summit” will be held at Michael Waltrip Racing at 4 pm Thursday. The hosts are power brokers in the Lake Norman business, tourism and economic scene: Larry Johns, chief financial officer of Michael Waltrip Racing in Cornelius, and Richard Zulman, CEO of BestCo, formerly BestSweet, a major employer in Mooresville.The business leaders are stirring […]
May 21. Amidst the background of the Exit 28 Ridiculousness Facebook page whose profile picture is “Cintra Sucks Money Out Of The Local Economy,” more local business leaders are starting to speak out on their own, independent of any chamber of commerce. Indeed, a petition calling for an independent review of the now-signed 50-year deal […]
Below is an e-mail from Vince Winegardner: Please forward to business owner and others who need to take action – Everyone in Lake Norman! ACTION NEEDED BY YOU. PLEASE REVIEW THIS INFORMATION AND CONTACT GOVERNOR McCRORY BY TUESDAY AND TELL HIM “NO TO TOLLS ON I77!” CONTACT INFO IS LISTED BELOW. Dear Northcross Master Association Business and […]
May 15. Governor McCrory said yesterday he would not delay the I-77 toll project despite recent resolutions passed by Cornelius, Huntersville and Davidson asking him to do so. An elected official who was adamantly opposed to toll- lane project reacted bluntly to the governor’s decision to forge ahead. “We’re basically screwed,” he said. The project […]
By Dave Vieser. In the wake of Gov. Pat McCrory suggesting that the state float bonds for transportation projects, State Sen. Jeff Tarte (R-District 14) has introduced legislation that would require approval from a majority of voters before any future project financed with tolls, user fees or any other direct charge to motorists could proceed. No […]
May 13. By Dave Vieser. While the members of the Lake Norman Regional Transportation Commission did not take any formal action regarding the I-77 toll lane controversy at their meeting tonight in Davidson, there was no lack of criticism for the state DOT on their handling of the project’s contract with Cintra(I77 Mobility Partners), the private […]