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BELMONT, NC – North Carolina has a new system that shows how local road projects rank on the state’s priority list and determines where the money goes.
Two hot topics in Gaston County county are ranked: the proposed Garden Parkway and the I-85 widening project.
The Garden Parkway is ranked 175 out of 339 state projects. That’s good news for Gaston County residents who don’t want to lose their land and homes.
“This would actually be the middle of a four-lane higway,” said Marie Young.
A billboard outside Young’s Belmont home opposed the Garden Parkway. Marie and her husband Jeff want to keep their home on land that’s been in their family for 130 years.
“Our house and my mother’s home and all of our cousins here… this would all be gone… all this property would be gone.” said Young.
The Garden Parkway–also called the Gaston East-West Connector–is a proposed 22-mile toll road. It would cost about $840 million dollars.
The Gaston Chamber says it would cut 20 to 30 minutes off the commute to Charlotte, add more than 2,600 jobs over four years, and improve traffic flow on I-85, US-29-47, and US 321.
Former Belmont city councilman Bill Toole disagrees, saying money should be spent on other projects.
“We need roads that reduce congestion, increase connectivity to economic generators, and will help create jobs,” said Toole.
Toole points to a proposal to widen I-85, which would add an extra lane in both directions between Belmont and US 321 in Gastonia. The project ranked in the state’s top 20.
“I-85 is the lifeblood of this county. It connects us to Birmingham and goes all the way up to Richmond. It is the crescent,” said Toole.
NCDOT’s new system ranks projects by potential for job growth and economic development.
