MCNative, when the long range transportation plan was being developed for Moore County was there any weight given to how many homeowners and businesses woud be effected by a bypass? It is obvious by looking at a map that dozens if not over a hundred homeowners would be directly impacted and probably twice that many see their communities change by a bypass through their neighborhood. As a resident of Highland Trails in Southern Pines in the path of the 2006 bypass route I am holding out on putting any money into my property that is not immediately needed in case eminent domain is used or if a route is proposed that would require me to declare that fact when selling my house until NCDOT decides (in the end it would be naive to think they won't do whatever they think is required to meet their mandate, whatever PR firm they hire to run those charrettes). If a bypass is truly needed to the point it is worth removing people from their homes and communities, so be it. If it is not truly required and does not achieve any substantial goals, that is abuse by government.
bruce28258 - Yes, this is long term planning. NCDOT says not to worry about it because nothing will happen too fast. Thing is, if they find a "proposed route" to start environmental studies on, everyone homeowner that is on that route has to declare that fact if they try and sell their house. Besides, even in 2040 most US 1 traffic would be local, unless Rockingham becomes the next research triangle or Pine Bluff becomes a suburb of Sanford
afbluegill - Their is no map showing a bypass map as a current proposal. Thing is, to make their freeway status anyone who can read a map realizes there is only two ways to achieve their SHC goal, freeway through town or freeway around town. Both a bad choice.
"Horse Country" is just the first thing the previously proposed bypass would run into. After that it would probably run to the east of weymouth woods, to the ft bragg border, then south through the eastern side of highland trails. I am not a horse person, I just want to keep my home and my neighborhood intact. I believe in being proactive even if there is just a possibility of this happening. NCDOT is actively looking for a way to get our section of US 1 up to freeway status, I don't want it through my neighborhood.
The Foundation is not responsible for planning the future of the North Carolina highway system. NCDOT is responsible, hopefully with input from local governments, with what eventually does or does not happen. They did pay for a feasibility study of expanding US 1 through town which is posted on the NCDOT website. "Their plans" don't decide the future of US 1. The Moore County Board of Commissioner's Resolution, a board elected by the public, called for US 1 to not be a freeway through Moore County. Their resolution does not decide the future of US 1.
Again, NCDOT's need for US 1 to be a freeway is due to the state's mandated SHC plans, not out of the need to ease local congestion through Southern Pines and Aberdeen.
And by now your implication that only a"few homes" would be destroyed makes it sound like you are looking for a job at NCDOT. At least 100 homes destroyed, with those who remain in places like Highland Trails after the bypass is built watching what was once the type of neighborhood people moved to Southern Pines to live in becoming just another used-to-be nice neighborhood that people point to as what happens to a nice place after a bypass gets built through it.
The resolution requested that NCDOT keeps US 1 in Moore County classified in it current category rather than require it to become a Freeway. This will maintain the current access to all businesses on US 1 in Southern Pines and Aberdeen. Facts please, not vitriol.
The idea that a US 1 bypass to the east of Southern Pines would only disturb 25 families is either ignorance or a deliberate lie. Driving home today I counted over 40 houses just on Edinboro Drive alone (all houses bordering Fort Bragg, if they follow the 2006 proposal map). Remember, at least the houses on both sides of the street will be taken by the state. The remaining houses, instead of being backed into fellow neighbors and acres of pine trees will have a brand new 4 lane freeway in their backyard. At least 40 houses on Edinboro, triple that following Stornoway Drive and sidestreets back into the development. Add to these houses all the private property that will be acquired by the state outside of just this one development. Do I think the Foundation proposal is a good answer? Not really. I do know that a bypass is not the answer either. Remember, the state did not come up with the idea of a bypass in order to relieve local congestion, they came up with it in order to get one step closer to completing their Strategic Highway Corridor (SHC) vision.
Do you know what worries me? If NCDOT comes up with a plan to route the bypass around the foundation. The foundation's influence is unfortunately the only thing standing between a "we gotta build it cause the plan says we gotta build it" bypass and hundreds of families living in unincorporated (not city) areas. Where my house is located, I would (eventually) get FMV for my home after it is taken by eminent domain. My family would move and leave behind good neighbors in a neighborhood that would in immediate decline. My suggestion, use the money to improve the US1 through Southern Pines and Aberdeen and immediately downgrade the SHC requirement that all of US1 in North Carolina become a Freeway.
Here are two things about me:
I do not own horses and only learned about “horse country” (Walthour-Moss Foundation) after talk of a bypass started.
I live in Highland Trails and plan on staying here a long time.
I also enjoy facts. The NCDOT has stated that US1 must become a freeway (55 mph, no driveways, no stop lights). If NCDOT insists that US1 becomes a freeway they have two choices how to do it: expand US1 through town with limited access points and upgrading the supporting secondary road structure or a bypass. A quick look at a map shows the only way to go is to the south of US1, due to the existing population to the north. The route will be bracketed on the west by Fort Bragg. A southern route will take it through the Walthour-Moss Foundation (4000 acres used mainly by horse riders but is free and open to anyone who wants to go on nature hikes) to south of Aberdeen. It will also take it through unincorporated residential sections of Southern Pines.
My house, and a lot of my neighbors who live in Highland Trails and other locations, are in the path of the 2006 NCDOT route. A map of this route is still available on the NCDOT website, if you dig deep enough. The fact is that the state government will use eminent-domain and displace a large number of Moore County residents to build a bypass is a fact, never mind horse country.
For those of you that live in residential areas south of US1, here is another annoying fact, even if NCDOT will eventually pay Fair Market Value for your houses after acquisition through eminent domain, they will do this on their timeline, probably sometime around actual construction.
Here is another fact; in order for NCDOT to proceed with environmental studies they must submit a proposed corridor route. If your house is in this proposed corridor, you must declare this fact if you try to sell your house. The environmental studies alone can take years, and there are no time limit restraints on the state to move forward with the project or abandon it, leaving anyone wanting to sell a house in limbo for years.
Is the congestion on US1 due to through traffic from Sanford and Rockingham and vice-versa, or is it due to local traffic (Aberdeen, Southern Pines, etc.) using US1 for their daily business? I don’t know, but neither does NCDOT or the state government. No study as to the cause of the congestion has been done. If the majority is due to local traffic, an expensive, destructive bypass will have minimal effect. Let us at least find out the cause of the congestion before spending money and destroying neighborhoods on a bypass to nowhere.
Take a drive through Highland Trails. Imagine bulldozers running a path over 300 feet wide through all the houses owned by normal, working class people. Neighborhoods and neighbors ripped in half. Now repeat that thought over about 11 miles down through Aberdeen and back onto US1. This is not only about horses…
tfd0103 1 year, 4 months ago
Arguments for Freeway Don't Make Sense
MCNative, when the long range transportation plan was being developed for Moore County was there any weight given to how many homeowners and businesses woud be effected by a bypass? It is obvious by looking at a map that dozens if not over a hundred homeowners would be directly impacted and probably twice that many see their communities change by a bypass through their neighborhood. As a resident of Highland Trails in Southern Pines in the path of the 2006 bypass route I am holding out on putting any money into my property that is not immediately needed in case eminent domain is used or if a route is proposed that would require me to declare that fact when selling my house until NCDOT decides (in the end it would be naive to think they won't do whatever they think is required to meet their mandate, whatever PR firm they hire to run those charrettes). If a bypass is truly needed to the point it is worth removing people from their homes and communities, so be it. If it is not truly required and does not achieve any substantial goals, that is abuse by government.
tfd0103 1 year, 5 months ago
County Opposes U.S. 1 Bypass Through Horse Country
bruce28258 - Yes, this is long term planning. NCDOT says not to worry about it because nothing will happen too fast. Thing is, if they find a "proposed route" to start environmental studies on, everyone homeowner that is on that route has to declare that fact if they try and sell their house. Besides, even in 2040 most US 1 traffic would be local, unless Rockingham becomes the next research triangle or Pine Bluff becomes a suburb of Sanford afbluegill - Their is no map showing a bypass map as a current proposal. Thing is, to make their freeway status anyone who can read a map realizes there is only two ways to achieve their SHC goal, freeway through town or freeway around town. Both a bad choice. "Horse Country" is just the first thing the previously proposed bypass would run into. After that it would probably run to the east of weymouth woods, to the ft bragg border, then south through the eastern side of highland trails. I am not a horse person, I just want to keep my home and my neighborhood intact. I believe in being proactive even if there is just a possibility of this happening. NCDOT is actively looking for a way to get our section of US 1 up to freeway status, I don't want it through my neighborhood.
tfd0103 1 year, 5 months ago
County Opposes U.S. 1 Bypass Through Horse Country
The Foundation is not responsible for planning the future of the North Carolina highway system. NCDOT is responsible, hopefully with input from local governments, with what eventually does or does not happen. They did pay for a feasibility study of expanding US 1 through town which is posted on the NCDOT website. "Their plans" don't decide the future of US 1. The Moore County Board of Commissioner's Resolution, a board elected by the public, called for US 1 to not be a freeway through Moore County. Their resolution does not decide the future of US 1.
Again, NCDOT's need for US 1 to be a freeway is due to the state's mandated SHC plans, not out of the need to ease local congestion through Southern Pines and Aberdeen.
And by now your implication that only a"few homes" would be destroyed makes it sound like you are looking for a job at NCDOT. At least 100 homes destroyed, with those who remain in places like Highland Trails after the bypass is built watching what was once the type of neighborhood people moved to Southern Pines to live in becoming just another used-to-be nice neighborhood that people point to as what happens to a nice place after a bypass gets built through it.
tfd0103 1 year, 5 months ago
County Opposes U.S. 1 Bypass Through Horse Country
The resolution requested that NCDOT keeps US 1 in Moore County classified in it current category rather than require it to become a Freeway. This will maintain the current access to all businesses on US 1 in Southern Pines and Aberdeen. Facts please, not vitriol.
tfd0103 1 year, 5 months ago
No Time for Apathy on U.S. 1 Plan
The idea that a US 1 bypass to the east of Southern Pines would only disturb 25 families is either ignorance or a deliberate lie. Driving home today I counted over 40 houses just on Edinboro Drive alone (all houses bordering Fort Bragg, if they follow the 2006 proposal map). Remember, at least the houses on both sides of the street will be taken by the state. The remaining houses, instead of being backed into fellow neighbors and acres of pine trees will have a brand new 4 lane freeway in their backyard. At least 40 houses on Edinboro, triple that following Stornoway Drive and sidestreets back into the development. Add to these houses all the private property that will be acquired by the state outside of just this one development. Do I think the Foundation proposal is a good answer? Not really. I do know that a bypass is not the answer either. Remember, the state did not come up with the idea of a bypass in order to relieve local congestion, they came up with it in order to get one step closer to completing their Strategic Highway Corridor (SHC) vision.
Do you know what worries me? If NCDOT comes up with a plan to route the bypass around the foundation. The foundation's influence is unfortunately the only thing standing between a "we gotta build it cause the plan says we gotta build it" bypass and hundreds of families living in unincorporated (not city) areas. Where my house is located, I would (eventually) get FMV for my home after it is taken by eminent domain. My family would move and leave behind good neighbors in a neighborhood that would in immediate decline. My suggestion, use the money to improve the US1 through Southern Pines and Aberdeen and immediately downgrade the SHC requirement that all of US1 in North Carolina become a Freeway.
tfd0103 1 year, 5 months ago
No Time for Apathy on U.S. 1 Plan
Here are two things about me: I do not own horses and only learned about “horse country” (Walthour-Moss Foundation) after talk of a bypass started. I live in Highland Trails and plan on staying here a long time. I also enjoy facts. The NCDOT has stated that US1 must become a freeway (55 mph, no driveways, no stop lights). If NCDOT insists that US1 becomes a freeway they have two choices how to do it: expand US1 through town with limited access points and upgrading the supporting secondary road structure or a bypass. A quick look at a map shows the only way to go is to the south of US1, due to the existing population to the north. The route will be bracketed on the west by Fort Bragg. A southern route will take it through the Walthour-Moss Foundation (4000 acres used mainly by horse riders but is free and open to anyone who wants to go on nature hikes) to south of Aberdeen. It will also take it through unincorporated residential sections of Southern Pines. My house, and a lot of my neighbors who live in Highland Trails and other locations, are in the path of the 2006 NCDOT route. A map of this route is still available on the NCDOT website, if you dig deep enough. The fact is that the state government will use eminent-domain and displace a large number of Moore County residents to build a bypass is a fact, never mind horse country. For those of you that live in residential areas south of US1, here is another annoying fact, even if NCDOT will eventually pay Fair Market Value for your houses after acquisition through eminent domain, they will do this on their timeline, probably sometime around actual construction.
Here is another fact; in order for NCDOT to proceed with environmental studies they must submit a proposed corridor route. If your house is in this proposed corridor, you must declare this fact if you try to sell your house. The environmental studies alone can take years, and there are no time limit restraints on the state to move forward with the project or abandon it, leaving anyone wanting to sell a house in limbo for years. Is the congestion on US1 due to through traffic from Sanford and Rockingham and vice-versa, or is it due to local traffic (Aberdeen, Southern Pines, etc.) using US1 for their daily business? I don’t know, but neither does NCDOT or the state government. No study as to the cause of the congestion has been done. If the majority is due to local traffic, an expensive, destructive bypass will have minimal effect. Let us at least find out the cause of the congestion before spending money and destroying neighborhoods on a bypass to nowhere.
Take a drive through Highland Trails. Imagine bulldozers running a path over 300 feet wide through all the houses owned by normal, working class people. Neighborhoods and neighbors ripped in half. Now repeat that thought over about 11 miles down through Aberdeen and back onto US1. This is not only about horses…