Purdue calls for mobility fund


North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue joined mayors and business leaders from across North Carolina last week in a call for the legislature to invest in the Mobility Fund – to provide an innovative way to keep North Carolina’s transportation infrastructure up to date.

Here is an excerpt of the Governor’s remarks:

North Carolina’s economy is stuck in neutral when traffic gets bottled up on our highways or when businesses don’t have access to railroads, airports and seaports. In these tough budget times when we are stretching every single penny we must find creative ways to fund NC’s critical transportation needs that can make the difference in our economic recovery.

I urge the General Assembly to include $95 million next year for the Mobility Fund. This is one of the innovative answers we’re looking for to keep NC moving.

The Mobility Fund will invest in critical transportation projects across the state – urban and rural – starting with the Yadkin River Bridge. Between now and December 2011 – the Department of Transportation will develop a model driven by cost-benefit analysis to identify more key projects across the state. This new model will give small projects that have a big impact in rural areas a chance to compete with larger projects. …

Now – some folks are questioning the need to use driver’s license and registration fees to pay for our transportation needs. Let me be clear – no business will walk away from NC because of our DMV fees – but they will walk away if they don’t have the infrastructure they need to do business.