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Tolls suggested for U.S. 17 bypass

Adding charge to use road, others, an option to help pay for Skyway


By Patrick Gannon
Staff Writer

Published: Tuesday, July 24, 2007 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, July 24, 2007 at 7:31 a.m.

Transportation officials and the New Hanover County Commissioners made it clear Monday that they would consider adding tolls to use other roads, including existing and future stretches of the U.S. 17 Wilmington Bypass, to help pay for the proposed Cape Fear Skyway Bridge.

Staff photo | Paul Stephen
Transportation officials have suggested charging tolls on stretches of the U.S. 17 Wilmington Bypass, seen above, to help pay for the proposed Cape Fear Skyway.
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It might be the transportation equivalent of robbing Peter to pay Paul, but with such an expensive project and limited transportation dollars available in North Carolina, many funding options are on the table.

In resolutions approved at their meeting Monday morning, the commissioners asked state government to help pay for construction of the Cape Fear Skyway Bridge and urged the N.C. Turnpike Authority to explore ways to generate more revenue for construction. One possibility would be to charge motorists on the Wilmington Bypass in New Hanover and Brunswick counties, transportation officials said.

The proposed Skyway, a 9.4-mile toll bridge over the Cape Fear River, would cost $971.5 million, preliminary estimates indicate. But Skyway toll revenues would cover only 55 percent of the cost, according to a revenue forecast. That leaves a gap of about $440 million, or about $39 million a year, as construction debt is paid off.

"Nobody, I don't think, is in love with toll roads, except when you have a $39 million gap annually, you have to pay for it somehow," said Bill Caster, commissioners chairman.

The high-rise Skyway bridge would connect U.S. 17 in Brunswick County to the intersection of Carolina Beach Road and Independence Boulevard in Wilmington. It would give motorists an alternative to the increasingly congested Cape Fear Memorial Bridge. Proponents say it would reduce traffic on the existing bridge and provide direct access to the Port of Wilmington for hundreds of trucks that come and go from the port each day, among other benefits.

The existing portion of the Wilmington Bypass stretches across northern New Hanover County from U.S. 17 to U.S. 421. Part of it is also known as I-140, or the northern outer loop. Plans call for the extension of the bypass from U.S. 421 to south of N.C. 87 in Brunswick County.

Mike Kozlosky, senior transportation planner with the Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization, said adding tolls to any existing section would require an agreement with the Federal Highway Administration.

The Cape Fear Skyway is third on the list of toll projects for the N.C. Turnpike Authority, behind the Triangle Expressway in Wake County and the Monroe Connector near Charlotte. Created in 2002, the authority is authorized to plan, construct, operate and maintain as many as nine toll roads statewide. There are none today.

The General Assembly is currently considering a bill to provide $18 million a year for 39 years to the Turnpike Authority to close the funding gap on Wake County's Raleigh Outer Loop and the Triangle Parkway projects. Wilmington-area leaders hope to either "piggyback" on that legislation to get money for the Skyway or to add Skyway funding to the legislation already before lawmakers.

"This is an opportune time to request the funding of the Cape Fear Skyway by the General Assembly," Kozlosky said.

Lanny Wilson, the Wilmington area's representative on the N.C. Board of Transportation, said a study by the Turnpike Authority could determine how much toll revenue could be generated on the Wilmington Bypass. Turnpike Authority officials couldn't immediately be reached for comment Monday.

Last week, the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce passed a resolution supporting the third bridge over the Cape Fear River.

"Have you been on the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge lately?" asked Connie Majure-Rhett, chamber president and chief executive officer. "We need to fight for what we need."

Patrick Gannon: 343-2328

patrick.gannon@starnewsonline.com


Comments

  1. 2hillbilly says...
    July 24, 2007 2:57:30 am

    RE: http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID...07240350/1004/news04 what a great new scam. Why not put meters on All the major streets, say 4 or 5 blocks apart, and pick-up a quarter at each one. While your at it, raise the gas tax some more, you know you use that money for thing's other than highway's.

  2. basilone says...
    July 24, 2007 5:07:05 am

    It's unfortunate that progress and doing the right thing costs money. We need to build our infrastructure to prepare for our growth. The longer we wait to update and prepare, the more expensive the projects will become.

  3. cosper says...
    July 24, 2007 5:55:10 am

    I use I-140 regularly between 421 and I-40. I'm a Wilmington native and after living in the San Francisco Bay area as well as Washington DC I've witnessed first hand the benefits (and headaches) of toll roads. Assuming that something sane like FastPass is part of the plan I'd gladly pay $1 each way to get from I-40 to Brunswick County if it meant reducing the congestion over the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge.

  4. sleepy2da says...
    July 24, 2007 6:01:02 am

    Progress? Doing the right thing? Ever since the 1930's, Raleigh has treated the eastern part of NC (all areas east of Fayettenam) as the red-headed stepchild. Nothing there but ign'ant farmers and po'white trash. All the while, the taxes and highway trust fund monies were being used to build infrastructure and superhighways in the Triangle and Charlotte areas while at the same time eastern NC's pleas were being ignored. 'Give us your money', demanded Raleigh, and we did. We asked for a place at the table and we were told that our population count didn't merit a seat in the dining room, so we had to eat outside on paper plates while Piedmont NC held the banquet on fine china in the dining room. Once in a while, ol' massa Raleigh would throw us a soup bone(I-40), but it took so long to eat it that Piedmont stripped most of the meat off before we could gain any nourishment from it. Po' little Eastern persevered and discovered that a valuable resource was in it's yard...land near the ocean!! Eastern began trying to promote this resource to offset massa Raleigh's neglect of the area, but Raleigh was having none of that. Soon enough, Raleigh bullied it's way into Eastern's yard and began, as usual, to find all manner of ways to siphon off Eastern's resources and trot the fruits of his labor back to the plantation house in Raleigh, meanwhile telling Eastern to build and grow, but pay as you go and don't worry about all that money I moved from your yard, because I'M YOUR GOVERNMENT AND I'M HERE TO HELP YOU!!!

  5. RealityCheck says...
    July 24, 2007 9:01:59 am

    Bad idea; toll booths create too much traffic and pollution. Keep the cars moving.

  6. richs1 says...
    July 24, 2007 9:57:08 am

    I don't see any discussion from officials about considering alternative designs/locations resulting in lower costs for this bridge! Based on information supplied so far, the present design is that it will be on the scale of the new bridge in Charleston S.C. We gotta outdo Charleston! Looks like they want to build the 8th Wonder Of SENC to me! I still want to know how traffic is going to be moved efficiently on Carolina Beach Road, to and from this bridge and who is gonna drive south from downtown to get to it and then pay a toll?

  7. Indawindigoes says...
    July 24, 2007 10:38:00 am

    Exactly---now we have to pay for a bridge to handle traffic going to and from their new NC STATE SUPERPORT.

  8. FloLake says...
    July 24, 2007 9:12:50 pm

    Sleepy2da:

    Indeed. All one needs to do is utilize Google Earth and take a gander at all the fancy loops around Charlotte/Mecklenburg County area & Raleigh/Wake/Triangle areas. If toll roads are to ever start up in NC, let them begin where the most money is; not Eastern North Carolina. The very suggestion/proposition that the State starts toll roads in E.N.C. is living proof that the powers that be are sure that we here are too 'ignant' to fight these tolls and their location(s), especially in or near the Hwy. 17 corridor.

    God help E.N.C. if toll roads are shoved off on us first. Maybe we could hire Shipman to get it all undone. LOL

  9. Misty Last says...
    August 6, 2007 7:15:25 pm

    U.S.17 By-Pass, That's a joke, They need to come back and install the new signs, US 17 By-Pass- "No Trucks" Most people don't realize by designating this road I-140 Loaded trucks like Dump Trucks, Cement trucks, Various Delivery Trucks can't use this road loaded because of the weight restrictions. We'll be in light to light traffic in front of you slowing traffic all day. I wonder what they would say to that, we won't pay the tolls on a road we can't use, You get to pay it.
    One P.O'd Truck Driver

  10. llparks1 says...
    August 9, 2007 6:20:54 pm

    We don't need to encourage any more growth....

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