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DISTRIBUT D <br />/ T df <br />Dear Orange County Commissioners., <br />53 <br />January 29, 1991 <br />Douglas C. Willson <br />Royal Park Apts., 6A <br />Carrboro, NC 27510 <br />I am glad you will receive comments on the widening of Hwy. <br />54 from Burlington to Carrboro through February 4. I am not a <br />property owner who would be directly affected by such a project; <br />however, as a citizen of Carrboro and North Carolina I believe <br />widening Hwy. 54 would be an inexcusable mistake. <br />I have driven the stretch from Carrboro to Burlington <br />several times and find the road to be more than adequate. In <br />fact, I think it is a beautiful drive which may be threatened by <br />doubling its size. <br />Concern number one deals with the construction project - <br />itself. It seems to me such a project would create more traffic <br />problems than it would alleviate. I am also wary of such a <br />project's effect on the environment. There is also the matter of <br />affecting those with land abutting the highway. <br />My second concern deals with the effect a four -lane highway <br />would have once built. It seems to me we should not be promoting <br />more auto traffic into the Chapel Hill area when we know that <br />this adversely affects an already severe parking dilemma in the <br />town, our dependence on oil, and our air quality. The triangle <br />area already hosts an environment where one usually has to drive <br />an auto to get most places; let's not exacerbate the situation. <br />Even in an automobile society, let's keep our traffic plans <br />logical. We already have a major artery from Burlington to <br />Chapel Hill via I -40. Why would we want to divert the already <br />light traffic from this? <br />Most importantly is the issue of affordability. Even if the <br />above opinions are found to be wanting, and indeed we did need to <br />widen 54, we cannot justify spending money on this when there are <br />far more pressing needs. Let us keep our priorities in order; <br />there is a major budget crisis on top of glaring educational, <br />health, environmental, housing, and employment. problems. These <br />will not be solved in the next ten years, I guarantee you. <br />please scrap this project before we go any further. It would be <br />disgraceful to waste more time and resources discussing this <br />matter. I would be very disturbed to hear government officials <br />claim once more that we have backed ourself into a corner from <br />which we can no longer escape. <br />Sincerely, <br />JL <br />