June 2. By Dave Vieser. The Cornelius Town Board unanimously passed a strongly worded resolution calling on the NCDOT 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 nearly 30 miles of the interstate between Lake Norman and Charlotte.
People in the audience were jubilant.
NAAS
The action followed an appearance by Kurt Naas of the Widen I-77 group. Naas asked the town to join their lawsuit and contribute funds to help the group’s legal costs. The commissioners took the request under advisement and said they would discuss it in closed session.
Mayor Pro-Tem Woody Washam said his fellow commissioners must act immediately on the termination resolution which was drafted by Commissioner Dave Gilroy.
Ultimately, the resolution was word-smithed live—with the audience’s help—on an overhead projector. The resolution cited online polls conducted by Cornelius Today and Business Today which showed that more than 90 percent of respondents do not trust the NCDOT to operate in a fair and open manner.
When there was a suggestion that this resolution could hold till the next meeting, Commissioner Woody Washam said: “We need to do this now.”
Naas told the board that his group had requested a trial date for their case and were waiting to hear back from the judge. “However, by joining with us now, you will demonstrate that you’re serious about stopping the toll lanes” Naas added.
Gilroy’s resolution was a surprise, and more than what Naas was asking for. “I was not aware of a resolution to terminate,” Naas said in an email.
Washam quizzed Naas on whether he was going to ask the other Lake Norman towns, as well as the county, to join in the lawsuit. Naas affirmed: “As soon as I can get a date to speak.”
Earlier in the evening, a total of 12 speakers representing residents as well as the business community spoke out in unison against the toll lanes, repeating many of the same concerns heard previously.
Related: I-77 Express Lanes Economic Impact 5-28-2015
In the resolution which was initially prepared by Commissioner Dave Gilroy, a longtime toll road opponent, the town board raises concerns about previous toll road projects, and suggests that money could be available to build general purpose lanes on I-77 rather than toll lanes.
The resolution also cites online opinion polls conducted by businesstodaync.com and corneliustoday.com indicating that over 90 percent of our respondents are against the project and do not believe NCDOT operates “with transparency, integrity and in the best interest of our citizens.”
This is the second resolution that the Cornelius board has recently adopted on the toll lanes. The entire board in May voted for a “time-out” on the toll plan, which was rejected by the DOT.
That vote also followed a Business Today/Cornelius Today poll that showed some 93 percent of more than 1,000 respondents wanted to call a time-out after Cintra apparently changed the wording in the contract to limit new parallel roadways.
The Cintra/NCDOT contract is more than 900 pages.
While the commissioners were careful with the language they used in the resolution, their comments from the dais, especially Gilroy’s, were much stronger. “The behavior by the DOT in this instance can only be described as utter arrogance.”
The mere fact that Naas and the lawsuit were placed on the agenda was startling in itself, and demonstrates how elected officials in Cornelius and elsewhere have been influenced by the strong opposition voiced by both residents and more recently, the business community.
Just last week, Cornelius resident John “Mac” McAlpine very nearly stunned an audience of 150 business leaders with a cogent outline of how toll lanes would not just add congestion to local roads, but cost the local economy some $13 billion over the life of the 50-year deal. To download a copy of McAlpine’s PDF presentation, click here.
Live coverage of Monday’s town hall meeting:
Cornelius TodayIt’s a full house at Cornelius Town Hall, five minutes before the Town Commission meeting gets under way. Widen I-77 will update their suit against NCDOT’s and Cintra’s plan to put toll lanes in between Lake Norman and Charlotte. Cintra was supposed to be here, but the Spanish company apparently backed out.
