The Southern Highland Reader

STATEWIDE–In all controversies and conversations about roads and road construction these days, there’s a constant background hum. That buzz is the sound of county and city officials talking about the possibility of a big change in the way North Carolina deals with roads.

North Carolina took over the main responsibility for roads from counties and municipalities during the Great Depression, and the result is one of the largest networks of state-maintained roads in the country. North Carolina became known as the “Good Roads State” as a result.

But all these roads are financed largely by taxes on gas and auto sales, and that income is flat and projected to decline. Consequently, there is a projected $65 billion shortfall in North Carolina transportation funding over the next two decades.

The state is considering returning partial responsibility for roads to counties and municipalities, whose main source of income is property taxes.

The state’s 21st Century Transportation Committee is meeting in Asheville this week to discuss this and other issues. The Asheville Citizen-Times’ Mark Barrett wrote this story.

Tags: Asheville Citizen Times

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