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New N.C. Transportation Secretary Eugene Conti inherits a department beset by problems. The Department of Transportation has been criticized for patronage and inefficiency, and it's now grappling with a steep decline in revenue because of the recession. Conti spoke with staff writer Steve Harrison Friday afternoon. Some answers have been edited for brevity.
Q. Many in Charlotte and other cities believe the state's equity formula for funding transportation is inadequate for the state's urban areas. Would you lobby for a change?
I won't lobby for any particular change. But there are legislators, including Becky Carney, D-Mecklenburg, who have talked to me about it. We should look at why it was put together. It's worth studying.
Q. Is there a part of the formula that could be tweaked?
I know the 21st Century Transportation Committee suggested looking at interstate (maintenance) funding as something that may not make sense to distribute through the equity formula because the interstates aren't distributed evenly. A place like Charlotte or Durham or Raleigh – they get heavily impacted that I-85 is running through them.
Q. The DOT controls the urban loop fund, which builds outerbelts around cities, including Charlotte. But the DOT doesn't do a cost-benefit analysis to determine which loops should be built first. Should it do so?
There needs to be a look at that in terms of creating a better prioritization process … It's not a process that lends itself to openness or transparency. I know from the public point of view (that the decisions) are somewhat random. We will take a strong look at that.
Q. The Fayetteville loop is controversial in Charlotte. Does a section of it need to be built now, before Charlotte's outerbelt is finished?
I haven't looked at the whole loop in total … But I will say there are projects there that need to be done in the relatively near future because of the Fort Bragg impact. (The Department of Defense) has considered providing resources to help do that, and that's unheard of in my experience, that DOD would come up with cash. We need to get it done.
Q. Is there a link between the “lack of transparency” and the Fayetteville loop?
The Fayetteville loop sort of appeared all of a sudden in people's minds. I don't think that's true, but the perception was that we were funding the Fayetteville loop over the others. We need a strong explanation of why we're doing what we're doing.
Q. The 21st Transportation Committee has recommended tolling I-95 at the borders of Virginia and South Carolina, and tolling I-77 at the South Carolina state line and at I-40 in Statesville. Is this a good idea?
I have done a lot of work in I-95 issue from when I was here before and in the private arena – our consulting firm helped N.C. DOT on that. I believe the governor is supportive of continuing to look at that, but it's something that won't get done quickly, or won't have a huge impact on traveling public. On I-77, the HOT (high-occupancy toll) lanes idea is another one that we will support if the locals support it.
Q. What's the most important change you want to make in the DOT?
I think I'd like to be part of restoring public confidence in this department – that's critical. I would like to have us viewed as a place where customer service is important. I would like to see us be very innovative in the financial arena so we are cutting edge.
