Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County staff updates commissioners on Marshville bypass tolling study, cites large project cost and local revenue potential
Summary
Staff presented a study update on evaluating a Marshville bypass as a tolled extension of the Monroe Expressway, citing an estimated cost of $287 million and potential local rebate revenues of about $100 million if tolling proceeds; staff asked for feedback ahead of CARPO and NCDOT steps.
Union County planning staff on May 18 provided an update on the long-running proposal to evaluate a Marshville bypass as a tolled extension of the Monroe Expressway.
Senior planner Bjorn Hansen summarized the study’s findings and next steps. He cited an estimated construction cost of about "$287,000,000 in last year's dollars," and said the NCDOT analysis shows that when evaluated as a continuation of the Monroe Expressway the corridor could support tolling: "Approximately 3 quarters of that cost would be paid for through tolls on the existing Monroe Expressway," he said.
Hansen explained the funding and timeline considerations: part of the corridor could be bonded with revenue extending to the 2070 practical limit for bonding, and staff estimated that non-DOT revenues associated with a tolled corridor could yield roughly $100 million to Union County, Marshville and affected municipalities for local projects under the distribution formula cited in the presentation. He said local alignment and environmental analyses remain to be determined and that the Town of Marshville had received the presentation favorably.
Staff asked commissioners whether to support submitting the project as a tolled candidate to the regional planning organization (CARPO) and to NCDOT. If the board supports the submission, staff said the schedule would aim for a CARPO endorsement before Labor Day and, if successful, a STIP submission in 2027 with potential project inclusion in later statewide tiers and possible construction in the 2030s.
What’s next: staff requested commissioners’ feedback to inform a CARPO submission and to refine local analyses on alignment, environmental impacts and property impacts; no formal board commitment or vote on funding was recorded in the May 18 meeting.
