Special to the Post

The 21st Century Transportation Committee convened for its initial session this past week in Raleigh. Early on, it seems the funding formula for how transportation monies are distributed in North Carolina came into question by two legislators, Senator Phil Berger of Eden and Representative Paul Stam of Apex. They believe the formula which was introduced in 1989 as the “equity fund” is outdated. In short, they want to see a large portion of the transportation budget go to the urban areas of the state which include Charlotte (Mecklenburg) and the Triangle area (Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill). I suspect they want to see the formula changed so it will be solely based on population. Presently only 50% of the formula is based on population. Also taken into account in the formula is the total number of miles of two-laned highways which are scheduled to be improved to four lanes.

As your senator in the 45th district, I will continue to pay close attention to the developments as the 21st Century Transportation Committee seeks solutions to our state’s transportation problems.

On numerous occasions I have pointed out to Lyndo Tippett, head of the Department of Transportation and to other legislators, that there are a number of factors that must be addressed by DOT as we develop a new transportation plan for North Carolina. In the northwestern part of the state, we are for the most part thrown in to the allocation considerations as “western North Carolina”. It is no secret that many transportation needs in our district have been of low priority in the past decades.

The fact that Ashe and Wilkes Counties still have over 200 miles each of unpaved roads speaks volumes about past priorities. Also, in our counties of the 45th District, the population numbers simply do not reflect the traffic on the roads. With a university of over 15,000 students and our region being a mecca for tourism, our area at any given time can have two to three times more vehicles on the highways than the resident population would indicate.

Back in the early 1970’s when I was a student at ASU, I came home excited to tell my wife, Phyllis, “Guess what I have just heard on the radio; US 421 from Wilkesboro to Boone is to be four laned!” It was --- 32 years later. This was unacceptable then, and is unacceptable today.

The message is simple to those who would divert DOT funding to the urban areas. We must tell them first and foremost; just shuffling the present funding will do little good for anyone.

I welcome your comments on how we can better meet our transportation needs. Contact me at (828) 265-2943 or spgoss@bellsouth.net. Visit my web page at SenatorSteveGoss.com.