Brunswick Commissioners unanimously adopt resolution requesting NCDOT conduct study of I-74/US-74 corridor in Brunswick, Columbus Counties

The Brunswick County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a resolution at their August 17, 2015 meeting requesting that NCDOT conduct a corridor study of the I-74/US-74 corridor in Brunswick and Columbus Counties.  This follows a similar resolution adopted by the Cape Fear Rural Planning Organization’s Transportation Advisory Committee (RTAC) in July.

Brunswick County Commissioner Frank Williams, who serves as RTAC Chair for 2015, released the following statement after July’s RTAC vote: “Upgrading Highway 74 between Wilmington and Charlotte is critical to the long-term economic growth of southeastern North Carolina. Brunswick, Columbus and Pender Counties will benefit from increased connectivity between I-140 and Charlotte, which will also improve inland access to the Port of Wilmington. The members of the Rural Transportation Advisory Committee strongly encourage the N.C. Department of Transportation to conduct a corridor study of the I-74/US-74 corridor in Brunswick and Columbus Counties.”

The text of the resolution is below:

WHEREAS, the Cape Fear Rural Transportation Planning Organization (RPO) was established to facilitate the coordination of transportation planning efforts between the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and local officials in the Cape Fear RPO planning boundary; and

WHEREAS, the Rural Transportation Advisory Committee (RTAC) is the duly established transportation planning policy board for the Cape Fear RPO; and

WHEREAS, the US-74/I-74 corridor is identified as Corridor “H/U” in NCDOT’s Strategic Transportation Corridors Network, the core network of multimodal transportation corridors moving large volumes of people and freight throughout the state and connecting centers of economic activity considered to be of statewide and regional significance; and

WHEREAS, Governor McCrory’s 25-Year Vision for North Carolina: Mapping Our Future identifies the improvement of US-74 to interstate standards from Charlotte to Wilmington as a needed infrastructure solution; and

WHEREAS, Governor Easley’s Logistics Task Force Final Report recommended upgrading I-74 from Charlotte to Wilmington, including: (1) Upgrade all of US 74/76 to interstate standard; (2) Completion of the Monroe Bypass; (3) Reroute I-74 design (from the Green Swamp route) to connect to the I-140 bypass; and (4) US 74/76 short-term improvements (right of way/access management/grade separations); and

WHEREAS, the North Carolina Maritime Strategy identifies the US-74 corridor as a key route to enhance freight mobility for waterborne truck freight; and

WHEREAS, the NCDOT 2040 Plan identifies the upgrade of I-74 from Wilmington to Charlotte as a transportation priority for the Port of Wilmington; and

WHEREAS, the Cape Fear RPO Rural Transportation Advisory Committee (in 2003 and again in 2013) and the Wilmington MPO Transportation Advisory Committee (in 2013) each adopted resolutions encouraging the construction of I-74 to the Wilmington Bypass (I-140).

NOW THEREFORE, be it resolved, that the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners hereby requests NCDOT conduct a corridor study of the I-74/US-74 corridor in Brunswick and Columbus Counties.