20020672 Ver 3_Public Comments_20141123

Chapman, Amy
From:Lynda Paxton <[e-mail]>
Sent:Sunday, November 23, 2014 10:04 PM
To:Chapman, Amy
Subject:Application for 404 Water Quality Certification
Amy Chapman
North Carolina Division of Water Resources
Transportation Permitting Unit
1617 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1617

Dear Ms. Chapman:

It is almost with a sense of futility that I write this letter to comment once again on the Monroe Bypass Project
as it relates to the 404 Clean Water Act and the Water Quality Certification from the NC Division of Water
Resources. I have come full circle in my opinions about this project. I served as Mayor of the Town of Stallings
from 2005-2013 and heard numerous presentations from NCTA staff and extensive arguments in support of the
project. Trusting that the info was well researched and valid, I offered public support for the project’s potential
benefit to the broader area despite its devastating impacts on the Town of Stallings and nearby Hemby Bridge.
It was only after NCDOT lost the lawsuit and it was revealed that some key NCTA staff admitted purposeful
misrepresentation of the data that I began to scrutinize the written documents more closely for myself and to
question info presented by NCDOT staff. With more direct and objective analysis, I soon realized that the
project had serious flaws and the 26 or more alternatives were merely iterations of the same predetermined
alternative. There was never any serious evaluation of improvements to Highway 74, particularly in
combination with improvements to other parallel roads like Old Monroe Road and Secrest Shortcut. Recent
minor improvements to Highway 74 have produced significant gains in traffic flow and plans are underway to
convert several intersections to Super Street Design over the next few months. NCDOT has failed to conduct an
adequate study of travelers in the corridor to determine the point of origin and destination. Removing truck
traffic has been touted as one of the major benefits for the bypass but there is not adequate investigation to
determine what percentage of trucks are servicing businesses within the corridor and how many are passing
through to other areas. Moreover some of NCDOT”s own reports indicate many truckers are unsure if they will
use the bypass and that truck traffic will actually increase, particularly around the 485 junction and Stallings
after the bypass is built.

There is widespread confusion and misunderstanding of the impacts of the bypass project. While DOT’s reports
claim minimal growth(`1-2%) as a result of the bypass, the local Chamber, County Commission and other
groups argue that the bypass is essential to promote significant commercial growth and bring new development
to the eastern parts of the county. The Legacy Park project, a 5000 acre development which promoters insist
will not go forward without the bypass, was conveniently not included in the analysis of impacts. After the court
ruling which required NCDOT to conduct a reassessment of its EIS, only limited new data was collected. Thus,
the revised EIS continues to rely on outdated, inadequate and flawed traffic forecasts and socio-economic
analysis.

In an apparent determination to justify the project rather than evaluate alternatives with potentially less
damaging environmental impacts, NCDOT has never actually demonstrated a need for the project. Construction
costs estimates have not been properly updated in DOT’s funding models, raising questions as to how the
increased costs will be covered. Finally and perhaps most importantly, public support for the project has eroded
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with disclosure of more complete and accurate information about the inadequacies and flaws in the data and the
analysis. Five towns across the county have adopted resolutions opposing the bypass and in support of less
damaging and less costly alternatives.

The application clearly fails to satisfy DENR’s requirements as well as the public’s best interest and I hope that
you will deny the application so that the region can move on to more productive dialogue and planning for real
transportation solutions.

Sincerely,
Lynda M. Paxton, MS
Mayor of Stallings 2005-2013
112 Eaglecrest Drive
Matthews, NC 28104

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