HOT Lanes on I-77 Widen I-77 Goes To Raleigh Apr 3, 2013

What is a HOT lane?  Vehicles w/three or more occupants use lane for free  All others pay toll electronically  “Congestion pricing”  Designed, built, operated, financed for profit by a private company (P3)  50 year contract  Trucks prohibited

The Problem Congested stretch of four lane road from exit 23 to exit 36

A GP Lane Estimate Source: “I-77 HOT Discussion with Cornelius Town Board”, from Bill Coxe to Andrew Grant, Oct. 10, 2012 A ballpark cost for two GP lanes from exit 23 to exit 36: $80- $130M

The Current HOT Lane Proposal Source: “I-77 HOT Lanes Project Overview NCSITE Lunch N’ Learn”, August 21, 2012; “I-77 Widening Update”, MUMPO (Bill Coxe), Sept 19, 2012; “Billions invested in Roads”, Charlotte Observer, Jan 14, Miles of HOT Lanes Cost: $550 Million

GP vs HOT HOTGP 27.5 Miles $550M 13 Miles $ M (est)

Why the difference? Source: RFP Majority of travel time savings Majority of Cost

HOT Lanes and Congestion  HOT lanes rely on congestion  “Congestion Pricing” means more congestion = more toll revenue

HOT Lane Revenues Source: “Managed Lanes: More than a Revenue Tool”, Parsons Brinkerhoff, 2013

Some other factoids  Automated Vehicle Occupancy Verification… …doesn’t exist  MAP 21 Legislation… Grants categorical exclusion to every capacity addition within the existing ROW… Puts GP lanes on same legal footing as toll lanes

Toll Lanes on I-77: 1.Cost much more than GP lanes 2.Ensure congestion instead of relieving it 3.Limits our ability to make future I-77 improvements 4.Locks us into an agreement with a private company for 50 years 5.Will negatively impact our economy

So what did Raleigh have to say about all this?

Speaker Thom Tillis on Tolling I-77 "I think the takeaway is that… the choice is (a high-occupancy toll lane) project... or no improvements to I-77 for 15 or 20 years." Source: “Tillis: Toll Lanes or Wait 20 Years for I-77 Widening”, LKN Citizen, March 27, 2013

What else are y’all worried about? We’re going to have to look at alternative revenue sources… We can’t actually discredit the effort to use toll roads by going out and starting to backtoll existing roads. Speaker Thom Tillis on Tolling I-95 … because if it happens to I-95… We’re not going to toll I-95. …why wouldn’t it work for 77? …sales taxes subject to a vote of the people… …We understand how this affects your industry… …Retail industry, everybody else… …We’ve got to do it in a smart, responsible way.

If tolls won’t work on I-95, why will they work on I-77?

According to Speaker Tillis…  Fiscal Realities State doesn’t have the money Fuel tax receipts are declining  Political Realities Federal Local State

The State Has No Money

NC’s First Toll Road… In twenty years the TriEx is projected to carry half the traffic I-77 does today. Source: Toll Road News, Dec 29, 2012

Gas Tax Receipts

Cost Breakdown I-77 Toll Lanes -$M Source: “Billions invested in Roads”, Charlotte Observer, Jan 14, 2013

Toll Lanes vs GP Lanes So there is enough public money. But can we use it for GP lanes? GP lanes: $80- $130M $170M Public Funds:

According to Speaker Tillis…  Fiscal Realities State doesn’t have the money Fuel tax receipts are declining  Political Realities Federal Local State

HOT Lane Funding- Federal Source: NCDOT What do the Feds Say?

From the NCDOT  Q: “Does Federal funding (NHPP) receive a higher priority due to HOT lanes?”  A: ”We are going to get the same amount… from the feds funding regardless of what projects we build. The feds play no part in the selection process for projects that use NHPP funding.” Source: NCDOT So the Feds are a non-issue…

According to Speaker Tillis…  Fiscal Realities State doesn’t have the money Fuel tax receipts are declining  Political Realities Federal Local State

The Buck Stops Where?  Davidson Mayor John Woods: “We are under the direction of the state. The town of Davidson doesn't manage I-77, nor does the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County or Iredell County.” -Huntersville Herald, Jan 31, 2013  Speaker Thom Tillis: The state doesn't decide where to spend money in the regions. Rather those decisions rest in the hands of (MUMPO). - Lake Norman Citizen, Mar 27, 2013

MUMPO Priority #93 Source: 2035 LRTP

Speaker Tillis on MUMPO  “Unless the local entity prioritizing roads changes that (prioritization), the only way you could potentially move up is to move other things down.“ - Mar 27, 2013 (emphasis added) Well Guess What…

MUMPO Criteria Are A’ Changin’! Source: Potential LRTP Roadway Project Priortization Process, RS&H, Feb 2, /3 of possible points 1/3 of possible points

MUMPO Tier 1 Highly NegativeHighly Positive Impact on I-77 GP Lanes Priority Source: Potential LRTP Roadway Project Priortization Process, RS&H, Feb 2, 2013; MUMPO LRTP Roadway Ranking Methodology, approved 11/14/07

MUMPO Tier 2 Highly Negative Highly Positive Impact on I-77 GP Lanes Priority Source: Ibid. I-77 General Purpose Lanes Poised to Be Much Higher Priority

A Question  IF… …the 50 year P3 contract is supposed to be signed by Dec 2013 BUT… …the new MUMPO ranking won’t be completed until May 2014, THEN… Shouldn’t we wait four months for the new MUMPO rankings before signing a 50 year contract? Toll Lanes WILL be an Election Issue in November…

According to Speaker Tillis…  Fiscal Realities State doesn’t have the money Fuel tax receipts are declining  Political Realities Federal Local State

NCDOT on Toll Lanes “My perspective on why express (toll) lanes should be how we add future capacity to all our interstates is founded on… the reality of declining revenue….” - James Trogdon, COO NCDOT (emphasis added)

Mobility Fund Criteria Weighting  Mobility Cost-Benefit measured by the estimated travel time savings the project will provide divided by the cost to the Mobility Fund.  Multimodal/Intermodal measured by whether the project provides an improvement to more than one mode of transportation 80% 20% Weighting HOT Lanes are worth an extra The State of North Carolina WANTS to Build Toll Lanes Source: Connect NCDOT

Mobility Funding Source: “Mobility Fund Project Scoring,” NCDOT, 2012

Speaker Tillis on Tolls "That option (to use mobility fund transfer money on I-77) is not on the table," Tillis said. "If Wilmington, for example, says, 'We are ready for a managed lane project, let's take the mobility fund money and transfer it for that use if (the Lake Norman area) isn't ready to do that," the money will go there.

Where’s Wilmington?

State Priority- As Is What if MUMPO Supported GP Lanes? Source: Prioritization Scores for Roads, NCDOT Priority

State Priority w/MUMPO Priority With Local Support, I77 Moves to the Top of the List… Priority

State Priority Based on Merit Competing on Merit, There’s a Clear Winner… Priority

Speaker Tillis on Tolls  Toll lanes or no lanes for 20 years  No Mobility Funds  No Support from MPO

I-77 Is Just the Beginning Source: Charlotte Region Fast Lanes Study, Presentation to NCTA, Mar 3, 2011

NCDOT Sources of Funding

Toll Roads are a Poor Way to Pay for Construction  Operating Costs & Profit  Pennies on the dollar goes toward construction  Only those willing/able to pay extra will have access to good infrastructure and yet… …NCDOT is looking at $40B+ in toll revenues from Source: NCDOT 2040 Plan

Summarizing  All the necessary elements are coming together to build GP lanes… Funding ($170M) Local priority (MUMPO) Enabling environmental legislation (MAP 21)  …except the State of North Carolina wants to build toll roads So why does Thom Tillis want to build toll lanes?

What Can I Do?  Call/ Thom Tillis:  Follow us wideni77.org and FB  Sign the petition  Take a petition  Vote!

Appendix

Access Point (1 req’d) Access Point (1 req’d) Westmoreland & Hambright Bridges (to be replaced) Access Points