'High Priority' corridor good for N.C.

[caption id="attachment_9995" align="alignleft" width="150"] photo by Civitas[/caption]

Editorial by Rocky Mount Telegram, August 4, 2015.

Interstates carry more than cars and trucks to towns and cities. They transport goods to the marketplace. In other words, they generate business, commerce, money.

Most of us appreciate the convenience of U.S. 64 when we’re driving to Raleigh or to the Outer Banks, but put a red, white and blue Interstate sign on that road, and its popularity and profitability will soar.

That’s a step closer to happening, thanks to a highway infrastructure bill that passed the U.S. Senate last week. The legislation designates U.S. 64 from Raleigh through Rocky Mount and Williamston as a high priority corridor. From Williamston, the corridor follows U.S. 17 through Elizabeth City all the way to Norfolk.

U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis and Richard Burr, both Republicans from North Carolina, strongly supported the bill, as did U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-1st District. The “high priority” designation speeds up the modifications that would be necessary to convert the Raleigh-Norfolk corridor to a full-blown interstate – tentatively called Interstate 44.

I-44 would offer manufacturers in Raleigh and the Twin Counties easy access to shipping ports in Norfolk.

The designation also would carry interstate traffic through Edgecombe County for the first time.

The plan holds great potential for more economic development in Eastern North Carolina.

Many thanks to Sens. Burr and Tillis and Rep. Butterfield for their efforts on this legislation. Interstates are the modern day equivalents of rivers. All of us have a stake in their value.

http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/opinion/our-views/8216high-priority8217-corridor-good-nc-2949287