County Opposes U.S. 1 Bypass Through Horse Country
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Opponents of a possible U.S. 1 bypass through Southern Pines Horse Country crowded into the historic courthouse in Carthage Monday to express their views during a public hearing called by the Moore County Board of Commissioners.
After hearing comments from about 17 speakers, the board voted unanimously to adopt a resolution opposing any plans by the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) that would carve a path through the Walthour-Moss Foundation lands and adjacent horse country in and around Southern Pines and Aberdeen and nearby areas.
Board Chairman Nick Picerno warned the freeway opponents that they must remain alert and continue to voice their opposition to state officials. He added that the commissioners, as a county body, have little influence with NCDOT.
“We believe a bypass through horse country is a bad thing,” Picerno said. “You’re going to have to continue to speak out against it. You tell the government what to do. The government ought not to tell you what to do.”
Of the several individuals signed up to speak during the hearing, only one expressed favor for the proposed bypass. He was Fred Walden of Southern Pines, a town council member who said he was speaking as an individual, not as a public official.
His comments were greeted with a scattering of boos, which Picerno deflected with a wave of his hand.
More details about the hearing, including comments by speakers, will appear in the Wednesday edition of The Pilot.
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Comments
TooHot 1 year, 5 months ago
So I guess a strip mall there instead is out of the question????
geoffcutler 1 year, 5 months ago
Funny how MCBC unanimously adopt a resolution to oppose byway and ask residents to be vigilant while our TC says nothing of the sort, and sees us attending foolish charettes to make it appear NCDOT actually gives a hoot what our people think about the byway.
And Fred Walden thinks a byway is thru horse country is a good idea? Voters...are you paying attention yet?
Matt_Woodruff 1 year, 5 months ago
"Voters...are you paying attention yet?"
Apparently not.
MisterG 1 year, 5 months ago
A minor inconvenience to the idle wealthy of Moore County?!? Not on our watch!
lester 1 year, 5 months ago
Would it get more people irate if the headline were "County Opposes U.S. 1 Bypass Through Subdivisions"? I might have to go for annexation too be protected from DOT
MD11Fr8Dog 1 year, 5 months ago
Doesn't Fred Walden own property between Goodwill, Old Mail and Ft Bragg? Hmm, I wonder how he might benefit from the bypass going through his unusable property!
theonewithsense 1 year, 5 months ago
Sooner or later a bypass is required, maybe 10 years or 50 years. There is only basically one place the bypass can go. You can try to make laws that say no more houses can be built in Southern Pines, but it's not going to work. People will move here. Congestion is not too bad yet, but it's getting there. HWY 1 should have never barreled down into town, that was the first mistake. Once that was done, a bypass is required.
skylinefirepest 1 year, 5 months ago
You can count on NCDOT not listening to the taxpayers...after all check out the expensive metal stripping placed along a fairly safe stretch of highway. Not needed, not wanted, but our DOT knows what is good for us, don't they? And for a small portion of what they spent on guardrail they actually could have fixed the dam at Lakeview which could have possibly SAVED LIVES by not forcing EMS to go FIVE MINUTES out of the way to go to Vass and then back to Lakeview.
JER 1 year, 5 months ago
skylinefirepest: A good suggestion except the dam at Lakeview is privately owned. I would like for the DOT to repave my driveway but I'll guess you would object.
snookyone 1 year, 5 months ago
The County" might change it's mind after hearing from the businesses on US #1 between Southern Pines and Aberdeen. Those businesses don't seem to know that the Foundation put forth a plan to build an overpass between Southern Pines and Aberdeen that would cut off access to US #1 for most businesses and takes a large portion of land at the intersection of #1 and #15-501 for an interchange. This is what happened to the Waccamaw Pottery Outlet Center at Conway when a large overpass was built to speed traffic through to Myrtle Beach. It turned a thriving shopping mecca into an empty shell. Think about it. A bypass east of Southern Pines is the only solution.
snookyone 1 year, 5 months ago
skylinefirepest: The Lakeview dam is private property so DOT has no business fixing it. I agree that DOT should have foreseen the uproar in regards to removing the Crepe Myrtles but they can't be faulted for putting safety ahead of beauty and they DO hold regular meetings locally to gather public input for planning.