Agenda - 10-03-1977 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Governor James 11, Hunt Page 4 October 27 , 1.9 77 impacted by hig way constructio��, The impact of Alte.:nrtthisoki.nd the Black Crest Street co= pity emphasizes the need of representation' on the Board of Transportation. The fact that the home of one of the most prominent surgeons on the Memorial. Hospital Staff stands to be wiped out by the 1.-B Alternate also exemplifies the need for competence in evaluating priorities and environmental concerns . The composition of the present Board, when looked at in the :Light of sensitivity, competence to deal with a range o environmental concerns and willingness to accept responsibility raises a 'still further and grave question requiring your immediate attention as to whether at least some of the members even belong on the Board. The Board composition is itself scandalous . Aside from everything else, citizens and Officials of Orange County have given. the North Carolina Department of Transportation numerous and substantial reasons as to why orange County officials and citizens should be allowed to address the Board itself who, as distinct from the engineers , have the decision-making authority. There are ques ions of impact on Orange County groundwater, community wells , identif ed future water impoundments , and the like, which were not b.xoug t to the Board' s attention and which were not con- sidered in the Environmental. Impact Statement. Any intelligent and responsibl Board member could be made to understand such impact which to date s been wholly ignored and is of critical. importance to orange Coun. y in its current desperate water crisis. There are questions of s condary impact of enormous consequence, to Orange County but whi h have been ignored. Nevertheless, any qualified Board member c uld be made to understand and evaluate the significance of such secon ry impacts. There are other questions of why l-B should be built to parallel existing highways to serve local traffic when e same existing highways could simply be upgraded for the same purpose. There is also the basic question as to why Alternate 1-B even needs to be built when two other routes, Alternates 3 and 4, have already been identified as highways that will be built in any event to connect 1. 85 and the Research Triangle Park, the sawn and identical purpose of Alternate I.-B. The Board was not told that the highway engineers planned to build three separate highways to serve the same purpose of connecting 185 and the Research Triangle Park . Why was this basic' and fundamental fact withheld from the Board? No facts and no donsiderati.ons whatever have been given ' in the E-nviton�ental. impact Statement and the Board was told -nothing on September 9 about energy and its future relation to the need for 1-40 and the planning of 140. The engineers axe thus directing the North Carolina Board' of Transportation along a path which directly conflicts with Federal policy and agions . This list could go on and on. in sum and substance, the Board has clearly and with intent been isolated from the view of the public in violation of law anal, more importantly,