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.. ti <br /> 2. <br /> ORANGE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br /> P.O. Box 8181 <br /> 200 S Cameron Street <br /> Hillsborougb, N.C. <br /> 27278 <br /> Moses Carey,Jr. February 1, 1995 919.732.8181 <br /> William,L Crowther 919-968.4501 <br /> Alice M. Gordon 919-688.7331 <br /> Stepben H.Halkiotis 910-227-2031 <br /> Don Willboit (Fax)919-644.3004 <br /> H. Franklin Vick, P.E. <br /> Manager, Planning & Environmental Branch <br /> N.C. Department of Transportation <br /> P.O. Box 25201 <br /> Raleigh, N.C. 27611-5201 <br /> Dear Mr. Vick: <br /> It has come to the attention of the Orange County Board of County <br /> Commissioners that NCDOT has offered to accelerate the construction <br /> of the planned Northwest Loop (Eno Drive) interchange with I-85 in <br /> Orange County to begin in 1997. This has been proposed by NCDOT as <br /> an alternative to reopening the closed I-85 Exit 172. Besides <br /> accelerating the construction of the interchange two other major <br /> transportation system projects have been proposed. These projects <br /> include the extension of NC 751 to the new interchange and the <br /> widening of US 70 to three lanes from NC 751 to Cole Mill Road in <br /> Durham County. <br /> The Board is very concerned that in the rush to implement these <br /> significant transportation projects the following environmental <br /> impacts are not being adequately addressed: 1) that the Draft <br /> Environmental Impact Statement for the Durham Northwest and <br /> Northeast Loops is flawed because the current Eno River State Park <br /> boundaries are incorrectly depicted and therefore all alternatives <br /> currently being considered will have detrimental impacts to Eno <br /> River State Park; 2) that in the rush to extend NC 751 to I-85 the <br /> environmental impacts will receive only a cursory examination; 3) <br /> that wildlife, pedestrian, and bicycling enhancements that have <br /> been requested in the past are not going to be implemented in the <br /> construction of the Northwest Loop Interchange with I-85; and 4) <br /> that there is no consideration of the adverse environmental impacts <br /> to the existing portions of NC 751 after the construction of these <br /> projects. <br /> Therefore, the Board requests that these concerns be addressed <br /> before any final decisions are made with respect to the alignment <br /> of Eno Drive and the transportation projects discussed above. <br /> The Board also requests that there be more coordination between <br /> YOU COUNT IN ORANGE COUNTY.1 <br />