The NCDOT worked with wildlife biologists to design a first-of-its-kind bat habitat along I-40 in the Pigeon River Gorge. The partnership has drawn praise from conservationists. (Photo: Courtesy NCDOT)
N.C. Department of Transportation engineers, contractors, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission recently came together to build a first-of-its-kind bat habitat as part of a key bridge replacement project along I-40 in the Pigeon River Gorge.
NCDOT resident engineer Kenny McCourt says the idea came to him while he and his young daughter were watching “Animal Planet.” The innovative design work will provide protective roosting for the federally endangered gray bat, a species that’s critically important for natural pest control.
The unique project in Haywood County highlights the collaboration that often takes place between agencies working on North Carolina’s transportation projects. But that collaboration is one of many reasons projects sometimes take longer than expected.
On Thursday, members of the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee pressed the NCDOT to explain its process for delivering on improvement projects.
NCDOT’s director of technical services Derrick Weaver explains why some projects take years to reach completion. (Photo: NCGA video stream)The department currently has 866 active construction contracts with another 1,600 in the preconstruction phase. It will take years for NCDOT to work its way through that list of highways, bridges, multimodal and safety projects.
NCDOT’s director of technical services Derrick Weaver told lawmakers that while each project ranges in size and complexity, they have streamlined the process through the agency’s project delivery network, or PDN, a project management tool.
“I like to think of PDN as a pantry.” said Weaver. “Just like at home, you don’t need everything in your pantry to prepare a meal, you only need the items for the recipe that you’re making.”
Weaver said it can take up to four years to finish environmental reviews and right-of-way planning. Finalizing design work and relocating utilities can add 18 months to six more years. It all has to be carefully coordinated before a project can even be bid out.
Fewer dollars, growing pains
Weaver said the agency would also be constructing a dashboard similar to the Virginia Department of Transportation, where residents can see at a glance which road projects are on-time and on-budget.
Staying on budget is increasingly important. Weaver said NCDOT has had to contend with a 60% increase in construction costs since COVID. Those numbers are now reviewed monthly.
Rep. Phil Shepard says explosive growth in his county underscores the need to revisit how transportation projects move forward. (Photo: NCGA video stream)Even so, North Carolina’s transportation needs continue to outpace available funding, NCDOT Planning Director Leigh Wing told lawmakers. The State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) has $31.4 billion available for the next ten years, but there are $144 billion in projects competing for those limited dollars.
Republican Rep. Phil Shepard said when he originally wrote the Strategic Transportation Investments law over a decade ago, the intent was to take politics out of where North Carolina’s roads were built. But it hasn’t been nimble enough — or well-funded enough — to keep up with the state’s rapid growth in some areas.
Shepard said his district has had 20,000 residents move to Onslow County in the past year, including 3,900 Marines and their families relocating to Camp Lejeune. He said it’s time to revisit the funding formula.
“We’ve had all this influx, and it seems that we’re behind the eight ball because we’ve got all the traffic and all the people, but the roads aren’t where they need to be,” lamented Shepard. “Because of the way STI was structured, we’re kind of left out in the cold.”
Sen. Michael Lazzara (R-Onslow) agreed the legislature needed to work more closely with the NCDOT to figure out how to deliver projects more efficiently at less cost.
“We’re getting further and further behind with transportation,” said Lazzara. “The longer we wait, the further out we are on delivery.”
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