Transportation
Citizen Kurt: WidenI-77 organizer wows top politicians
March 10. By Dave Yochum. Speaking to a packed house—150 citizens and elected officials at Cornelius Town Hall—anti-toll leader Kurt Naas started by thanking people for attending a dry information session on Cintra finances, the bankruptcy in Texas and the pricing plan for tolls between Charlotte and Lake Norman. The one-hour presentation by the founder of WidenI-77.org was riveting. Elected […]
Moody’s warned against Cintra finances in Texas in 2013
Mar. 3. By Dave Yochum. As expected, a long-troubled Cintra road project in Austin, Texas, has filed for bankruptcy protection because it is unable to make full payment on its senior debt. SH 130 Concession Co. said in its bankruptcy filing that “the lingering effects of the recession” contributed to the filing. The managed lanes […]
New Huntersville mayor aims to make town business friendly
By Dave Vieser. Huntersville Mayor John Aneralla, who upset incumbent Jill Swain in November, wants to make his town more business friendly. Aneralla who was the guest speaker at Business Today’s February Newsmakers Breakfast also believes efforts to form a new chamber of commerce in the town are not necessary, labeling them “strictly politics.” Swain is one of […]
NCDOT seeks feedback on 50-year Cintra contract
Feb. 19. By Dave Vieser. It looks like the NCDOT is suddenly paying attention to strenuous objections from the municipalities and governments that will be directly affected by the $650 million plan to widen I-77 with toll lanes between Charlotte and Lake Norman. In letters sent Feb. 17 to all the members of the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning […]
Huntersville exits LKN Transportation Commission
Feb. 17. By Dave Vieser. The Huntersville Town Board has voted to withdraw from the Lake Norman Regional Transportation Commission, leaving the future of the six-year old LNTC in limbo. The 4-2 decision was opposed by Commissioner Melinda Bales, who also chairs the LNTC. The LNTC, headed up by former Mooresville Mayor Bill Thunberg, has been […]
West Catawba Phase Two compromise emerging
Feb. 15. By Dave Vieser. A compromise plan is emerging from recent talks involving the NCDOT, Cornelius, and the Lake Norman Regional Transportation Commission which will permit motorists to turn left from a widened West Catawba Avenue onto Hwy. 73 to head towards Birkdale. Initially, the DOT would not permit motorists to turn left onto Sam […]
Still waters run deep: Mayor, Town Board disagree
ANALYSIS. By Dave Yochum. It’s looking more like the mayor of Cornelius and the Town Board are going through a public divorce. Mayor Chuck Travis, an almost universally acknowledged good guy, successful Charlotte businessman, family man, community friend, and North Carolina native, is at odds with the Town Board. In addition to what amounted to a […]
Mooresville mayor gets on board with I-77 Business Plan
Feb. 9. By Dave Yochum. If you think the I-77 battle is over, you’re wrong. It has expanded and moved into Iredell County. Mooresville Mayor Miles Atkins attended a special business briefing Monday held by two anti-toll groups: The I-77 Business Plan and WidenI-77.org, the original anti-toll group. It’s a coup for the anti-toll team, which was stung by a judge’s […]
Cintra’s parent firm built Canadian bridge which buckled
Jan. 25. By Dave Vieser. A newly constructed two-lane bridge in northern Ontario, Canada, which split apart on January 10, was designed and built, in part, by Ferrovial, which owns Cintra, the company building the I-77 toll lanes. The damage to the Nipigon River Bridge, which carries traffic using the Trans Canadian Highway, was extensive enough […]
CRTPO vote galvanized LKN opposition to tolls
Jan. 22. You might call it Pyrrhic victory, one that causes as much harm to the winner as it does to those who appear to have been defeated. The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization did just as expected last night, voting 50-12, based on a weighted voting system, to approve the concept of managed lanes […]
