SUPER 70

There’s no construction date - or money approved. But the state Department of Transportation has a plan for the future of Havelock’s main drag that city commissioners believe will hurt local business while others maintain that it will improve safety.

Havelock commissioners have invited a highway enhancement group to present its plans for U.S. 70 before deciding whether to cancel their membership.

Poised to adopt a resolution opposing the Super 70 Corridor Commission’s plans to transform a 134-mile stretch of the U.S. 70 corridor into a freeway, city leaders Monday evening said they would invite the group to share its objectives at commissioners’ July 23 meeting.

“They know we’re opposed to it,” said Jimmy Sanders, Havelock mayor. “We have not appropriated any money. Let’s hold onto the resolution. Let’s send an invitation to the (Super) 70 Corridor Commission.”

City commissioners have skewered the Super 70 plans, which call for a Havelock bypass and controlled access along the U.S. 70 corridor. The highway group’s most vocal opponent, Commissioner Danny Walsh, was appointed by county leaders to represent Craven County’s collective interests on the Super 70 commission.

“Because mistakes were made at the state level from the governor’s office down on utilization of highway trust fund money, the people who live in James City and Havelock should not have to pay the price when the folks in Goldsboro do not,” Walsh said.

The Super 70 group requests annual contributions from its members — which include six counties and more than a dozen cities and towns along the U.S. 70 corridor. Havelock was asked to chip in $5,000 to remain a member, which Walsh said he opposes on principle.

“Why would anyone in their right mind donate taxpayers’ money to screw the taxpayers?” he said.

Walsh said the Super 70 plans to limit access to the highway from parking lots and service roads would cripple commerce by reducing access to roadside businesses and inconvenience drivers making cross-town trips.

“We are more than willing to work with anyone who has a reasonable plan to assist our communities to live more comfortably and drive more safely,” he said. “But why should we be inconvenienced seven days a week for someone to go to the beach two days a week?”

He alluded to some Havelock residents’ resentment over efforts to accelerate through traffic — often exemplified by Raleigh motorists hoping for a quicker trip down the U.S. 70 corridor toward the Morehead City waterfront and Atlantic Beach.

At their June 18 budget work session, Havelock commissioners directed the city manager to prepare a resolution opposing the Super 70 initiative and suggested it be forwarded to Craven and Carteret county governments for their consideration.

Craven County commissioners recently renewed their membership in Super 70 and approved the requested $25,000 contribution in the county’s 2007-08 budget.

“It is my opinion that this is 100 percent unfair to the taxpaying citizens of eastern Craven County,” Walsh said. “I don’t think they’re ready for what’s going to happen to them.

I see nothing good coming from the 70 corridor transportation group. I see no benefit to anyone who lives from James City east — zero.”

Proponents of Super 70 said a freeway from Clayton to Morehead City would encourage — not inhibit — economic development by providing businesses and employers with an interstate-quality thoroughfare.

“I think there’s a lot of misconceptions about what the intent of the commission is,” said Mike Rutkowski, the Super 70 Corridor Commission project manager and a transportation consultant with Kimley-Horn and Associates. “The thought is it’s going to divide the town, but their No. 1 priority is to build that bypass.”

Rutkowski said the Havelock bypass proposed decades ago would become a reality under the Super 70 plans, and the access management alterations to U.S. 70 would improve safety and convenience.

“It’s more for safety and operational improvements. It’s by no means a cure-all for all the access management problems in Havelock,” he said. “There’s some very direct safety problems associated with that corridor. What really has to happen is clearing up the inherent safety problems.”

The transportation planner, whose firm was hired to produce the Havelock Comprehensive Transportation and Land Use Plan under direction of a city-appointed committee, said the portion of U.S. 70 that passes through Havelock has been called “one of the biggest bottlenecks in the corridor” and improvements would benefit everyone who uses the highway.

“You’ve got a very dangerous road as your spine road,” he said. “It is extremely dangerous, and putting in more signals is not going to solve that problem. There’s an evident problem of travel safety.”

Rutkowski said Havelock should remain a member of the Super 70 group despite differences of opinion on the scope and impact of some Super 70 projects.

“I would encourage local leaders of Havelock to consider continuing their membership and continuing to be supportive of that collaborative process,” he said. “They may not like individual projects, but the key is don’t give up on something you’ve been trying to get for 30 years — the bypass. That happens to be the highest priority for that commission.”

The Super 70 Corridor Commission advises the North Carolina Department of Transportation on long-term U.S. 70 corridor goals and individual projects, though the commission does not provide funding for Super 70 projects.

Cameron McRae, the Division 2 representative on the state transportation board, did not return phone calls in time for this story.

Neil Lassiter, NCDOT division engineer, said the Super 70 plans support the DOT’s vision for increased mobility along the corridor. He said state transportation data shows a higher frequency of crashes at intersections with traffic signals.

He said the headaches caused by limited highway access would be temporary, since the Havelock bypass would reduce traffic on the existing U.S. 70 through Havelock.

“Once the bypass is built, hen the existing route would have a working corridor in completion,” he said. “There’s not a need for that access management and control when the bypass is in place.”

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

“We are more than willing to work with anyone who has a reasonable plan to assist our communities to live more comfortably and drive more safely. But why should we be inconvenienced seven days a week for someone to go to the beach two days a week?”

- Danny Walsh, Havelock commissioner

“You’ve got a very dangerous road as your spine road. It is extremely dangerous, and putting in more signals is not going to solve that problem. There’s an evident problem of travel safety.”

- Mike Rutkowski, Project manager, Super 70 Corridor Commission

“The main thing is the safety component, the mobility component of U.S. 70 and also to be an alliance to promote the U.S. 70 Havelock bypass and other projects along the corridor.”

- C.E. (Neil) Lassiter Jr., NCDOT division engineer

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK

How do you feel about the Super70 Corridor Commisssion's plans for U.S. 70 in Havelock? Visit havenews.com, take the online survey and leave your comments at the end of this story online.