Bill names highways 'high priority'
By Steve Herring
Published in News on November 9, 2015 1:46 PM
Portions of U.S. 70 and U.S. 117 are designated as high-priority corridors and as "future interstates" in a bill passed Thursday by the U.S. House of Representatives.
The U.S. 117/Interstate-795 and U.S. 70 corridors also were designated as high priorities in the six-year highway bill passed by the U.S. Senate in August.
However, Congress adjourned before the House could act on its version of the bill.
The bill passed Thursday was one of two authored by Congressman G.K. Butterfield of Wilson to designate several highways in eastern North Carolina as "future interstates."
The House-passed surface transportation bill will now go to conference with the Senate and, if approved, both of Butterfield's transportation bills will be signed into law by President Barack Obama.
The goal is to extend I-795 from Goldsboro south to Interstate 40 in Sampson County just west of Faison.
The upgrade would require a new roadway from Ash Street to south of Goldsboro with the remainder using the existing U.S. 117 South.
Wayne County Commissioner Joe Daughtery called the passage "fantastic news."
Daughtery said he was "ecstatic" when he first learned of the bill's passage around 6:30 Friday morning.
"That was one of the things that we tried to tackle from the get-go of trying to get 117 completed for I-795," said Daughtery, chairman of the commission's Transportation Committee. "When we got into that we found that there was some pushback from the U.S. 17 group saying that they wanted that resolved first.
"So were able to get through the Highway 70 Corridor Commission, we were able to broker it where basically (U.S.) 17, 70 and the completion of 795 was all in that bill."
Daughtery praised Butterfield's efforts on behalf of the highways. The bill did not make it through the last session, but Butterfield reintroduced it, Daughtery said.
"It will go to conference committee, but it is certainly our hope (roads) will remain in the final bill and be signed by the president," he said. "It will mean a great deal to Wayne County and eastern North Carolina first of all if we have them designated.
"Then the next problem is finding the funds to get it done. But at least it will be designated. We are excited about it. But I am really going to be excited about it when the president signs the bill."
The impetus behind seeking the high-priority designation is to better connect Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, the North Carolina Global TransPark, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, and the Port of Morehead City with the rest of North Carolina and the eastern seaboard.
The Military Corridor Transportation Improvement Act would designate portions of U.S. 70 and U.S. 117 as high priority corridors and as "future interstates"
The second bill, the Route to Opportunity and Development (ROAD) Act (H.R. 2211), and Military Corridor Transportation Improvement Act (H.R. 1844) were passed as part of the six-year surface transportation bill by a vote of 363-64.
"These bills are key elements of my vision to support the future of transportation in our region, and will, among other things reduce traffic congestion, improve access, and pave the way for job creation and further economic development in eastern North Carolina and Virginia," Butterfield said.
The ROAD Act would designate portions of U.S. Highways 17 and 64 through Rocky Mount, Williamston and Elizabeth City as a "future interstate."
Specifically, H.R. 2211 guarantees that the corridor connecting Raleigh and Norfolk is built to interstate standards, that the route travels through eastern North Carolina, and that U.S. Highways 17 and 64 are prioritized when allocating funding for federal highways.
"Improving our transportation infrastructure, spurring economic development, and improving travel for eastern North Carolinians is vital to the long-term growth of our region," Butterfield said. "The passage of the ROAD Act and the Military Corridor Transportation Improvement Act will help better connect many communities across eastern North Carolina with Raleigh, the Port of Virginia, and the Port of Morehead City."
The Federal Highway Administration estimates that $1 billion in transportation funding can support approximately 30,000 jobs which would be critical to economic development in eastern North Carolina.
Passing legislation to designate the highways as a future interstate can lead to modernization and investment in the region's highway infrastructure, Butterfield said.