Conti: Transfer of secondary roads 'not practical'

Any attempt to transfer responsibility for the state's secondary road system to counties is not coming from the Department of Transportation, according to DOT Secretary Gene Conti, who addressed the NCACC Board of Directors on Dec. 17.

N.C. Department of Transportation Secretary Gene Conti spread holiday cheer during his appearance at the Dec. 17 meeting of the NCACC Board of Directors. (Photo by Jason King)

S758 (Transfer Secondary Roads to Counties) was introduced by Sens. Dan Clodfelter and Bob Rucho of Mecklenburg County this past spring, but the legislation was never heard in the Senate. Conti said he hopes the legislation does not move forward in 2010.

"That was a piece of legislation introduced by the two senators from Mecklenburg, and we did not support it," said Conti. "We are not about to abandon our responsibility for secondary roads and turn that over to you. That doesn't make common sense and is certainly not practical."

Conti admitted that the revenue streams dedicated to transportation issues in North Carolina were not keeping pace with the demands being placed on his department. He said the DOT is looking to streamline as many of its practices as is possible in an effort to reduce costs, and that the department wants to work with local governments to identify and prioritize local transportation needs.

"We are making a lot of changes," he said. "Governor Beverly Perdue made it clear to me when she asked me to serve that the North Carolina DOT was going to change the way it does business. We are going to change the way we make decisions. We have asked the Board of Transportation to get out of the project selection business and really help us focus on broad policy initiatives. We have certainly made a lot of progress."

The DOT has created several working groups with various partner organizations, including local governments, to examine the issues surrounding the state's transportation system. Conti said he wanted the DOT to get a "better dialogue with local governments" throughout the state.

"It just seemed important that we create some mechanism that can maybe lead to some solutions," he said. "We asked this organization, the League (N.C. League of Municipalities), the councils of governments, MPOs and our federal partners to join with us" to study transportation issues.

Conti said the group of about 18 individuals has been divided into three working groups, each of which will focus on a specific area – the federal reauthorization of highway spending, land-use and transportation or communications between agencies.

"We think it is a good opportunity for some collaboration and coordination and problem-solving," he said.