A federal judge has rejected an effort by environmental groups to stop construction of a 20-mile toll road in Union County. In a November 2010 lawsuit, the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, Clean Air Carolina, and Yadkin Riverkeeper contend that the N.C. Turnpike Authority failed to follow correct procedures with environmental studies on the project. The suit alleges that the Turnpike Authority’s procedure was biased toward building the road. U.S. District Court Judge James Dever III ruled Tuesday that the authority didn’t violate the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Transportation officials, who had halted planning on the bypass, say they now plan to move forward. “Judge Dever validated our work by ruling in favor of allowing the Monroe Connector/Bypass to finally proceed,” he said in a news release. Work on the project is now expected in 2012, according to Turnpike Authority spokesman Reid Simons. The $800 million toll road east of Charlotte would extend from U.S. 74 near Interstate 485 in Mecklenburg County to U.S. 74 between Wingate and Marshville in Union County.
(Ken Elkins, CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL; THE ASSOCATED PRESS, 10/25/11).
