20020672 Ver 3_Attachment 25 - 05-16-14 MB construction could start this year, state says_20141126

May 16, 2014, 11:56am EDT Updated: May 16, 2014, 12:34pm EDT
Monroe Bypass construction could
start this year, state says
Ken Elkins
Senior Staff Writer- Charlotte Business Journal
Email | Twitter | Google+
The long-proposed $1.2 billion Monroe Bypass is back on the state of North
Carolina's construction timetable.
After the Federal Highway Administration made a legal move to allow
resumption of planning, permitting and development of the project, the state
says it’s clear to resume work on the highway.
The N.C. Department of Transportation believes construction of the bypass will
start late this year or early next year, Mike Holder, chief engineer, says in a
news release about the toll road.
There’s no question the road is needed, he says in the release. “It will help
greatly reduce congestion and provide a strategic connection between eastern
Union County and Charlotte, a major economic center.”
The Monroe Bypass is among several highway projects that have faced a long
road to approval. In mid-2012, the federal Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
agreed with the Southern Environmental Law Center that the state used faulty
numbers when assessing whether the toll road should be built.
A new environmental-impact study required by the courts was released in
December, allowing the Federal Highway Administration to issue a “record of
decision,” which cleared the way for construction to start.
That decision means right-of-way purchasing and planning can resume, Holder
says.
Ken Elkins covers manufacturing, international business and
economic development for the Charlotte Business Journal.
Page 1 of 1Monroe Bypass construction could start this year, state says - Charlotte Business Journal
5/16/2014http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/outside_the_loop/2014/05/monroe-bypass-cons...
Attachment 25