DOT leader promises fewer politics, more results (Mooresville Tribune)
A top official of the N.C. Department of Transportation says Gov. Beverly Perdue has successfully taken the “politics out of transportation” in an effort to make the agency more effective.
Jim Trogdon, a retired brigadier general and chief operating officer for DOT, spoke to the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce last week during its Power Luncheon for state and local officials.
“As the (COO) in the very large business of state government, we are facing the same challenges in this economy that many of you in this room are in your various industries,” Trogdon told the business and government leaders.
“Our department has gone from 14,000 employees to 12,500 over the last year and in this economic climate, we’re doing a lot more work with a lot less to do it with.”
Trogdon said Perdue has instituted a major overhaul in the last two years, which has “been instrumental in changing the way our department does business.”
“She said she wanted to ‘take the politics out of transportation,’” he said. “Our department is now working with community leaders to plan and organize. It’s a data driven system that delivers hard analysis. The direction our funds are going in is extremely critical when the department is dealing with a shortage in money. With our growing population, we have $54 billion dollars worth of critical transportation needs projected for 2015 through 2020 and about $10.5 billion in anticipated revenue.”
NCDOT has a new formula and criteria for prioritizing projects based on numbers derived from crash statistics, congestion and travel time, he said.
“We’re applying the data to 1,100 projects across the state, and evaluating non-highway projects like ferries, railway, bicycles and pedestrians based on the scoring,” Trogdon said.
“Some people aren’t satisfied with the new system, but critics said they wanted data provided and that’s what we’re doing, and we’re giving a realistic picture. Our goal is to deliver 90 to 95 percent of the projects on time and on budget, as opposed to the 50 percent in our previous history.”
Over the next nine months, DOT will be seeking public comment about what communities like and disapprove of so the department can consider it in their upcoming plans, Trogdon said.
“We need to know the best way to spend the money we do have and meet the needs of the citizens,” he said.
As for the Lake Norman area, Trogdon acknowledged its rapid growth.
“The money is just not keeping pace, (but) we are taking strides and making progress,” he said.
“For example the Brawley School Road project. When that two-lane road was built, it was designed for 10,000 cars a day. Now, it’s at over 30,000, and thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the project will be completed by 2013.”
He added that NCDOT is relying on innovative and creative ways to raise the money needed for other projects, such as finishing I-485. Trogdon mentioned that they are looking into toll roads for the state to make up for shortfalls in funding.
“The state’s first toll road is under construction at the Triangle Expressway and it’s a $1 billion dollar project,” he said. “Another is the Monroe bypass in East Mecklenburg with 74 and 485, which if it stays on schedule, will begin construction in December of this year and will open in 2014.”
In the future, Trogdon said alternate means of transportation, such as buses, trains, bikes and pedestrians will be looked at with more consideration and “it’s all about choice.”
“We will be evaluating alternate forms with the same formula,” he said. “Is there space for a bus pullout? Is there room for a sidewalk? Can we add a bike lane? Cars are an important means of transportation but it’s not the only way. We want to make a comprehensive transit system that accommodates diverse needs without negatively impacting the environment or the community.”
Published: September 03, 2010
By Megan Sprague | Mooresville Tribune
