Check this out. Confronted with a stalled outerbelt project — sound familiar? — city officials in Greensboro look at loaning money to the state so that chronically broke NC DOT can finish the work.
Meanwhile, in Charlotte, city council throws $8m. at a $500m. streetcar project it has no way to fund and otherwise postures that it is utterly impossible to build roads unless the state funds them. Now the number in Gboro is smaller, only $30m. compared to at least $200m. needed to finish off 485. But the principle is important.
Once again the common-sense priorities of an urban center — a functional road network — get hijacked in Charlotte by special interests and government staff. Maybe we should fire our current crop and going looking for actual problem-solvers. As Greensboro shows, they are out there.
