Letters to the Editor
Letters published in local newspapers that discuss HOT Lanes:
Questioning Speaker Tillis’s support for I-77 toll lanes June 2013 — Dave Gilroy Cornelius Commissioner
Response to “more lanes for me” (email) June 2013 — Bruce A. Andersen, Huntersville
Commissioner McAuley should resign May 2013 – Kurt Naas, Cornelius
Former commissioner calls for McAuley resignation May 2013 – William Rakatansky, Cornelius
Rural vs. urban and HOT Lanes May 2013 – Vince Winegardner, Davidson
Cornelius’ I-77 vote was the wrong decision May 2013 – William Rakatansky, Cornelius
Cornelius Commissioner Dave Gilroy on toll lanes May 2013 – The Herald Weekly
Toll lanes aren’t the answer to I-77 woes March 2013 – An editorial of the Mooresville Tribune
Huntersville property owners oppose HOT lanes Feb 2013 – Alex Kilgour and the Northcross Master Association Board of Directors
HOT lanes are the ‘wrong way’ for Lake Norman Jan 2013 – Vince Winegardner, Davidson
An open letter to Lake Norman Area Commuters, Oct 2012: Hello Neighbor10-24-12
In a rare outbreak of common sense, Charlotte City Council votes down Mayor Foxx’ $37M streetcar, yet earlier refused to fund a $200K to look at shoulder widening on I-77, July 2012: CommonSense2012
How MUMPO chooses what roads are going to be built (and which ones aren’t) Feb 2011: I77Observer
HOT Lanes are effectively a form of double taxation that offers a poor return for the Lake Norman Commuter, April 2011: I-77 Toll Road- A Taxing Subject
North Mecklenburg County’s population is expected to double in the next twenty years. Yet neither growth nor congestion are considered when the Mecklenburg prioritizes roads, April 2011: Growth & I-77
Comparing the value of adding a third lane on I-77 to the Red Line, Mar 2011: The Train vs The Lane
How our local officials managed to squander the $20M we need to complete phase 1, Mar 2011: Widening I-77- We’re Addicted to OPM
Comparing how Charlotte’s $37M streetcar received priority over widening I-77, Feb 2011: This Idea Should Go to the CATS
Jeff,
How in your right mind can you support tying up a major artery for economic development (aka I-77)for the next 50 years just to support a P-3 partnership? You and I both saw the presentation by the group at the Town Hall meeting on Monday last. The concept is flawed- NO where that it has been tried has it worked (San Diego, Houston, Atlanta, etc.)
.
Myth: HOT Lanes offer a better return on investment.
Fact: HOT Lanes require substantial additional costs to make the financial model work. Among these are an HOV-HOT lane conversion, toll equipment, operating costs, increased law enforcement costs, and profits for the private toll lane operator. In addition, the current plan calls for improvements to be made in Charlotte with no benefit to LKN commuters. These include widening existing lanes through downtown Charlotte and re-doing the Brookshire interchange to accommodate HOT lanes. The current HOT lane model costs over $300 million for lanes up to exit 28. An additional general purpose lane over that same distance would cost approximately $50 million.
This is not a Democrat/Republican issue and I believe in the P-3 concept where it is economically sound, but this is lunacy. Go to the Widen I-77 website (https://wideni77.org) to see all the justification you could ever want. This is a bad deal!!!
Please pull your support for this issue and think about the long term consequences.
William C. Sykes
bsykes12@bellsouth.net
[…] Letters to the Editor […]
I drive I-77 every day. I see the HOV lane totally underused. Take the restrictions off by removing the paint and signs and presto! – you’ve got yourselves another lane of pavement already installed for all taxpayers to use! What I cannot understand is why everyplace else in the country HOV lanes are enforced only during the most congested rush hours, perhaps 6:30 to 8:30 am and 4:30 to 6:00 pm – plus NO WEEKENDS! Our local bozos seem to relish in restricting the use of these lanes 24/7 – what the hell is wrong with these people?
I Have been doing investigative research about the relationship with the republicans party , Tom Tillis and the spainish company Cintra. and found quite a few thing I think will interest your org,
the first in the money trail is I-77 Mobility partners and their wall street Fitch Ratings
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fitch-rates-i-77-mobility-partners-ncs-private-activity-bonds-and-tifia-loan-bbb–2015-05-20
the Toll road Part of I-77 is now fully privitized and trading on wall street LOL
the next thing is the we are all going to get rich scam
is the public financing . be careful to note the part about it could create projects like that at the cost of other infrastructure projects. NC was mentioned. the atricl was from 2012
http://usa.streetsblog.org/2012/07/03/americas-transpo-loan-program-to-reward-punctuality-not-innovation/
changes were made the program in 2012 with this toll road in mind.
here is a overview of the public loan program
http://www.dot.gov/tifia/overview
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_Activity_Bond
this whole thing is a cleverly crafted “TAX EXEMPT” cash cow for the perpetrator.
mostly holder of the bonds
you should notice that the MLs will be priced using a dynamic tolling regime which changes toll rates based on traffic volume to guarantee a travel speed of 45 mph. The lanes will allow free access to vehicles with three or more travelers as well as express buses, and passage will be denied to vehicles with more than two axles.
The comprehensive agreement granted by NCDOT provides relative freedom for toll-setting, with the framework allowing for dynamic tolling unhindered by toll rate caps or floors after the first six months of operations, during which period tolls will be set according to a schedule set in advance.
There are no meaningful competing routes parallel to the north-south I-77 corridor, or likely corridors to build new routes.
Plus the amendment that prevents adding non-toll lanes to force traffic to use the toll lane.
thanks for you time I hope that this helps
DO NOT VOTE ANY Politicians back into office who were for the Toll Roads! Put them out of a job!
Suggest you post a link to WSJ article today about failed Texas hwy 130 project. What shines thru is that truckers and individuals are not going to be willing to pay the expensive tolls that have been projected. Also, don’t understand why no one seems concerned that the state will be turning over approx 10 miles of I-77from Brookshire freeway to Exit19, where there is no traffic problem. A simple and cost effective solution still would be to take the $ the state is wasting on this project and add a 3rd lane from Huntersville to Mooresville.