No Time for Apathy on U.S. 1 Plan

Friday, December 2, 2011

By Alison McCormack

Special to The Pilot

You've probably heard about the North Carolina Department of Transportation's intention to run a freeway through Southern Pines and Aberdeen. If not, consider this your notification.

If you live in this beautiful area, and care about preserving our way of life here, you've got a dog in this fight, and you need to get involved. Mark your calendar for 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 5. That's the date for the "special public hearing" our county commissioners have called to find out what the people of Moore County have to say about this issue.

It will be held in the old courthouse building in Carthage. Think you don't need to be there? Keep reading.

Here's a recap: In 2004, without legislative approval, the North Carolina Board of Transportation adopted a concept called the Strategic Highway Corridors Plan (SHCP). The objective of the SHCP is to create a network of high-speed freeways through our state, northern border to southern border.

This resulted in the targeting of U.S. 1 through Southern Pines and Aberdeen for a "freeway/ bypass." Why? That's unclear. There have been vague comments about "travel safety" and "homeland security," but no concise answers.

What we do know is that it's happening because about 3.5 miles of our existing U.S. 1 (the section starting near the Morganton Road exit and continuing south through Aberdeen) doesn't mesh with the guidelines for the Corridor Plan. The NCDOT has cited this as a "problem area."

There's been lots of confusion about what's really going on in regard to U.S. 1. The reason for this is simple: Moore County's goals are completely different from those of the NCDOT. We want to solve our local traffic problems. They want to complete another section of the Strategic Highway Corridor Plan. They are attempting to achieve their goal by disguising their agenda as the answer to our local traffic issues.

The NCDOT engineers are not evil; they build roads for a living. Hence their tenacity in attempting to justify the need for this freeway. They originally claimed the traffic congestion we have is due to residents of our northern cities traveling south through our area. Anyone living here knows there's virtually no traffic on U.S. 1 south of Aberdeen. The congestion is local traffic.

When that dog didn't hunt, they tried another approach, citing "projected future growth" in our area as justification - a disingenuous statement, since these types of roadways are not designed for the purpose of moving traffic within a town, but for moving it through a town.

Let's be honest. If their goal was truly to fix our local traffic issues, and to find out how the people of Moore County want to achieve that with U.S. 1, then we wouldn't be having a discussion about a freeway or a bypass at all. Those NCDOT workshops were a farce.

The bottom line: We don't have to accept a freeway or bypass just because the NCDOT says we do. We need to do whatever it takes to have this "requirement" for a freeway downgraded to a thoroughfare.

We need to make appropriate upgrades to the existing "problem area" of U.S. 1 to improve safety and traffic flow, and upgrade surrounding secondary roads to relieve congestion and distribute traffic more effectively. This would solve the problems we really do have, while preserving the things that matter most to us.

We have a lot at stake. There've been numerous articles in The Pilot about what this would do to Horse Country, and how a bypass through the Walthour-Moss Foundation would be devastating to all of us. Believe it. "Devastating" doesn't even begin to cover it.

But this isn't just about Horse Country. There's the preservation of our neighborhoods and the very homes we live in to be considered, as well as the character of our downtown areas and the well-being of our shops and businesses.

This is no time for apathy. We're all busy. Go to www.nobypass.com and give yourself an education. Those old maps of previously proposed routes are a real eye-opener. Go to the public hearing on Dec. 5. Moore County is about to go on record with an "official position" about this issue. The hearing will determine what that position is. Write to your local and state officials.

The decisions being made now are going to dramatically affect the future of our towns and everyone who lives here. Once done, the damage cannot be undone. We'll have to live with it forever. Forever is a very long time.

Alison McCormack is a real estate broker and aspiring writer who has lived in Southern Pines since 1999.

More like this story

SH59 1 year, 5 months ago

Excellent letter and very well spelled out. The government officials have showed that their only concern is their own pockets and not the people. It's time we shook them up and take back our power by letting the state know what we want, not the other way around.

snookyone 1 year, 5 months ago

The rest of us hardworking taxpayers don't have the privilege of enjoying the sacred horse country. That pleasure belongs only the few monied families who live there. But if a major highway by-pass was to cut right through the middle of it would open up the view for us all to enjoy, and the horses won’t know the difference. Ms. McCormack’s article was opinion, and is not to be confused with fact. Traffic on highway #1 between Aberdeen and Southern Pines is near gridlock and the public wants relief from it. DOT has the experts and my support.

JER 1 year, 5 months ago

First, may I ask exactly where is "Horse Country". Is it a geographical area or just anyplace horses are in Moore county? Really, not being a horse owner, I don't know what your discussing.

Next, may I request of Ms. McCormack and anyone else who uses phrasing like "you've got a dog in this fight" to PLEASE stop using it. As a suggestion for an alternative, in this county it would be a better choice to say "you've got a horse in this race". Low life scum relate to dog fighting. Speak to the audience you're trying to reach.

tfd0103 1 year, 5 months ago

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…

snookyone 1 year, 5 months ago

Why doesn't the foundation be specific about what they propose as an alternative to a bypass east of Southern Pines?

moonchild7 1 year, 5 months ago

I find it difficult to believe that people who live around here haven't heard of HORSE COUNTRY? Especially someone in Highland Trails, because there are horsebackriding trails all thru Weymouth Woods and there are quite a few Horse farms right there on Ft Bragg Rd. Also, Snookyone, if you check out the Foundations Website you'll see it's not just for horses. You can walk along the trails to observe nature also; in fact early this morning I drove by and noticed there weren't any horse trailers parked out there as they usually are so it would have been a good time for a walk. Don't have to worry about being "run over" by the horses as much. There were more than 20 trailers there a few hours later when I returned though. I sent the previous article to my son concerning DOT's plans. He's an Urban Planner and after looking at the map, that DOT provided, he said he sees, at this time, no plans for them to put a highway thru HORSE COUNTRY. He did say that it looks like they are planning for an OVERPASS from about the Kangaroo Gas Station down to about McDonalds and then another down to Aberdeen. He said their maps were terrible and difficult to read. I remember back when they were talking about this before and they were saying that it might be possible to take the bypass all the way out to the FT Bragg-Moore Co. Line and put it there. That would have the second least troubling effect. The FIRST being the overpass of US 1 where it is now. It just seems to be "overkill" as usual when it comes to the DOT. Moore Co. seems to be having tremendous growth, so it's about time we get a tremendously good mass transit system and stop making more and more roads for more and more cars.

snookyone 1 year, 5 months ago

The overpass suggestion is from the Foundation, not DOT. It's a selfish scheme that would effectively cut off all the businesses between Aberdeen and Southern Pines from US #1 access. DOT would never come up with such a hair-brained idea. The only logical place to bypass US-1 is east of Southern Pines, skirting around horse country. Unfortunately, the Foundation isn't being truthful with the public AND they're squatting at the meetings so nobody but them knows what's happening. Running a bypass east of SP would disturb about 25 families while the alternative suggested by the Foundation would disturb hundreds or thousands. If their sacred "horse country" land is open to the public, why don't they donate it for public use?

siya 1 year, 5 months ago

The US-1 bypass has no benefit to Moore County residents, any traffic congestion that we may be faced with in the next 20 years is going to be local in nature. If you study the traffic counts on US-1 there is very little traffic south of Aberdeen (approx 7000) and the northern part of the county has roughly 11000. The "local " part of US-1 between pinehurst avenue and the hwy 5 in aberdeen is between 22000 and 33000. If the DOT is worried about our local road networks and congestion as they state then surely they should concentrate on existing road infrastructure. This is not a horse country issue it is an issue for the whole county, no one has come forth and told us how our area will benefit from this bypass. It wont help traffic congestion, it wont help us economically.

tfd0103 1 year, 5 months ago

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.