A delegation of Gaston and Mecklenburg residents fighting the proposed Garden Parkway toll road traveled to Raleigh on Wednesday to tell state lawmakers the $1 billion project is a waste. Most legislators listened with genuine interest, but group members said Rep. William Current Sr., R-Gaston, was apparently upset with the lobbying. “He was belligerent, insulting and hateful,” said Warren Ellington, 55, of Belmont. A contract to build the controversial Garden Parkway would be awarded later this year. The N.C. Turnpike Authority is waiting on final approval from the Federal Highway Administration before construction begins. Meanwhile, opponents are focusing on stopping state money and redirecting the dollars already set aside for the road.
On Wednesday, opponents met with Rep. John Torbett and Sen. Kathy Harrington, both Gaston County Republicans. Harrington was elected to the District 43 seat once held by Democrat David Hoyle, a parkway champion who also owns property along the proposed route. Hoyle has said his holdings had nothing to do with his support of the road. A long-time opponent of the parkway, Harrington said the meeting with the citizens group went well and “I appreciate them sharing their views.” Along with James Forrester, R-Gaston, Harrington co-chairs the Senate appropriations subcommittee for transportation. “We’re looking at ways to make ends meet,” she said. “Nothing is targeted, nothing is excepted. Everything is on the table.”(Joe DePriest, THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 2/24/11).
