North Carolina Turnpike Authority - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The North Carolina Turnpike
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...

Authority was created in 2002 as a board with the authority to study, plan, develop and undertake preliminary design work for toll road

Toll road

A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...

s and toll bridge

Toll bridge

A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...

s in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

of North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

. The NCTA has the power to design, establish, purchase, construct, operate, and maintain certain up to nine (originally three) toll road projects. It was created "out of a need to implement alternative financing to pay for much-needed roads during a time of rapid growth, dwindling resources and skyrocketing costs" .

As of August 2009, no toll roads exist in the state of North Carolina, but the NCTA has started two projects and is studying several others. Thirty-six states operate some type of toll facilities; in fact, every state along the Atlantic Seaboard

Atlantic Seaboard

The Atlantic seaboard watershed is a watershed of North America along both*the Atlantic Canada coast south of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence Watershed &*the East Coast of the United States north of the watershed of the Okeechobee Waterway....

uses toll facilities except North Carolina and Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

.

The NCTA was created with HR644, a bill which passed both houses of the North Carolina General Assembly

North Carolina General Assembly

The North Carolina General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes...

and was signed into law by Governor

Governor

A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...

Mike Easley

Michael Francis "Mike" Easley is an American politician who served as the 72nd Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina, from 2001 to 2009. He is member of the North Carolina Democratic Party and became the first North Carolina governor to admit to a felony in a deal that halted a lengthy...

on October 3, 2002. The law prohibits the NCTA from converting any existing roads in the non-tolled system to toll roads, but there is a loophole

Loophole

A loophole is a weakness that allows a system to be circumvented.Loophole may also refer to:*Arrowslit, a slit in a castle wall*Loophole , a short science fiction story by Arthur C...

in the legislation. An existing free road can be converted into a toll road if it "is needed to help establish the financial viability" of a nearby toll project. In addition, the law mandates the North Carolina Department of Transportation

North Carolina Department of Transportation

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is responsible for building, repairing, and operating highways, bridges, and other modes of transportation, including ferries in the U.S. state of North Carolina.-History:...

to maintain an existing, alternate, comparable non-toll route for each toll route constructed by the NCTA.

Projects under construction

Western Wake Freeway, the western segment of the second beltway around the Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...

area. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on August 12, 2009 and construction started soon after. Estimated completion date is by the end of 2012.
Triangle Parkway, a southern extension of North Carolina Highway 147 to North Carolina Highway 540 in Research Triangle Park
Research Triangle Park
The Research Triangle Park is a research park in the United States. It is located near Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill, in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina...

. Work started in August 2009 with an estimated completion date by the end of 2011.

Proposed projects

Gaston East-West Connector (Garden Parkway)
Garden Parkway
The Garden Parkway is a proposed limited access toll road to be built in North Carolina, United States, that will pass through portions of Gaston County and Mecklenburg County.-Route description:...

, a bypass around Gastonia
Gastonia, North Carolina
Gastonia is the largest city and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is also the third largest suburb of the Charlotte Area, behind Concord and Rock Hill. The population was 71,226 as of Gastonia is the largest city and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina,...

for U.S. Highway 74.
Monroe Connector/Bypass, a bypass around Monroe
Monroe, North Carolina
Monroe is a city in Union County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 36,397 as of the 2010 census. It is the seat of government of Union County and is also part of the Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC Metropolitan area.-Geography:...

for U.S. Highway 74.
Cape Fear Skyway
Cape Fear Skyway
The Cape Fear Skyway is a proposed limited access toll road and bridge to be built in North Carolina, United States, that will pass through portions of New Hanover and Brunswick counties.-Description:...

, a bridge connecting Brunswick County
Brunswick County, North Carolina
-External links:*******....

with southern Wilmington
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...

and a possible extension of Interstate 140
Interstate 140 (North Carolina)
Interstate 140 is a part of the Interstate Highway System in the US state of North Carolina. It is a spur route that will run for upon its completion within both New Hanover and Brunswick Counties in serving as a bypass of Wilmington...
Mid-Currituck Bridge
Mid-Currituck Bridge
The Mid-Currituck Bridge is a proposed two-lane toll bridge that will span across the Currituck Sound, connecting US 158 and NC 12. Preliminary project costs are estimated at $660 million, that also includes several road improvements surrounding the project. Final route decision and bridge...

, a bridge connecting mainland Currituck County
Currituck County, North Carolina
-National protected areas:*Currituck National Wildlife Refuge*Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 23,547 people, 6,902 households, and 5,204 families residing in the county. The population density was 70 people per square mile . There were...

with Corolla
Corolla, North Carolina
Corolla is an unincorporated community located in Poplar Branch township, Currituck County, North Carolina along the northern Outer Banks. It has a permanent population of approximately 500 people; during the summer vacation season, the population surges into the thousands...

and the northernmost Outer Banks
Outer Banks
The Outer Banks is a 200-mile long string of narrow barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, beginning in the southeastern corner of Virginia Beach on the east coast of the United States....

communities - a shortcut across the Currituck Sound
Currituck Sound
Currituck Sound is a protected inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in northeastern part of North Carolina. Thirty miles N-S and 3–8 miles wide, this shallow, island-filled sound is separated from the ocean by Bodie Island, part of the Outer Banks...

.

Projects studied but deemed financially infeasible at present

Interstate 74 in Brunswick County
Interstate 74 in North Carolina
In the U.S. state of North Carolina, Interstate 74 is an Interstate Highway that is partially completed. Currently in four distinct segments in the state; when completed, it will traverse in a southeasterly direction from Virginia to South Carolina, connecting the cities of Winston-Salem, High...

http://www.ncturnpike.org/projects/I-74/, a segment of a future interstate route across the Green Swamp
Green Swamp (North Carolina)
The Green Swamp is a swamp that lies in Brunswick and Columbus counties in North Carolina. An unusual carnivorous plant known as the Venus Flytrap is found within this swamp. North Carolina laws prohibit the removal of these plants from their habitat....

connecting to South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

in Brunswick County
Brunswick County, North Carolina
-External links:*******....
A Connector between Interstate 73
Interstate 73
Interstate 73 is a main route of the Interstate Highway System, currently located entirely within the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is part of a longer planned corridor, defined by various Federal laws to run from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to Grayling, Michigan, but only the part south of...

near the Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro west to Interstate 74
Interstate 74
Interstate 74 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western end is at an intersection with Interstate 80 in Davenport, Iowa; the eastern end of its Midwest segment is at an intersection with Interstate 75 in Cincinnati, Ohio...

along the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway.

Criticism

There is continued criticism among North Carolina legislators and citizens about the issue of toll roads in North Carolina, a state which has previously not had tolls for its modern roads. It has been a political campaign

Political campaign

A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making process within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, wherein representatives are chosen or referendums are decided...

issue in state and local elections. Gerry Bowles, a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

made the issue of tolls on I-540 a major part of her campaign when she challenged 15th District incumbent

Incumbent

The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...

Senator

North Carolina Senate

The North Carolina Senate is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly.Its prerogatives and powers are similar to those of the other house, the House of Representatives. Its members do, however, represent districts that are larger than those of their colleagues in the House. The...

Neal Hunt, a republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

. Bowles launched her own (now-defunct) website, www.stop540toll.com, calling for the removal of tolls from plans for the extension of I-540. Bowles, however, lost the 2006 election to Hunt.

Some criticism lies with the proposed $2 toll on a 16-mile segment of the Western Wake Freeway. Proponents of the price cite Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

's E-470

E-470

E-470 is a 46-mile limited-access tollway traversing the eastern portion of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area in Colorado. The toll road is not a state highway, but is instead maintained by the E-470 Public Highway Authority.-Route description:...

and its $3.75 charge for 16 miles as justification.

In October 2008, the authority was unable to issue bonds to fund the Western Wake Turnpike project as planned due to market conditions affecting municipal bonds such as those.
Bonds were later floated, with the assistance of loans from the Federal Highway Administration in June 2009 .

Projects under construction

Proposed projects

Projects studied but deemed financially infeasible at present

Criticism

See also