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 […]
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 […]
May 1. NC Rep. John Bradford, the former town commissioner who called a “time out” prior to the initial I-77 agreements with Cintra last year, says he wants to meet with NCDOT officials to discuss what appears to be a changed playing field around the toll plan. “We actually tried to meet this week,” he said. […]
April 27. It looks like a group of anti-toll activists will converge near the Exit 28 bridgeFriday evening to protest plans for tolls as a way to widen I-77 between Lake Norman and Charlotte. It is apparently being organized by people not directly associated with Widen I-77, but leaders of the well-known anti-toll group will participate. […]