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Published: Tuesday, Nov. 03, 2009 / Updated: Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009 09:30 AM

Toll road announcement coming soon

N.C. Turnpike Authority expects to make decision on Garden Parkway path week of Nov. 16

BELMONT -- 

By Thanksgiving, residents concerned with possible paths of the Garden Parkway could have more reason to give thanks than they expected, or not.

Reid Symons, director of public affairs for the North Carolina Turnpike Authority, said a final decision on the parkway route definitely will come this month, likely the week of Nov. 16. The preferred alternative will finalize a preliminary decision made this spring.

“There should be one route identified,” Symons said Monday.

Parkway officials in April announced a recommended alternative, a path of considerable public opinion for months leading to the announcement. In the Belmont area, several groups formed to oppose a southern route that would cut near Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden through several neighborhoods in Paradise Point. One group also apposed a northern alternative, saying the toll road project was unnecessary and fiscally irresponsible. The decision made in April favored the northern route.

“It can change,” project spokesman Beau Memory said at the time. “It's not the final route. It's just the one we're pursuing, the one we're looking to build.”

Part of that pursuit includes the study recently completed along S.C. 49 in Lake Wylie, as well as several other interchange locations in or near the project area. Motorists received comment cards asking basic questions of their travels, such as how often they use the existing roadways, how far they travel daily and whether they travel through the study area.

“This is an origin and destination study, and they're also doing a traffic count study,” Symons said. “It's a very extensive look at the patterns of the roadway.”

The recently completed portion of that study is part of a yearlong process of gathering information that will be presented to investors when the time comes to secure project funding through bonds, Symons said. The questionnaire is not a factor for determining the route of the parkway, she said.

“It's more of traffic patterns,” Symons said. “It's a very separate study.”

The decision where the parkway will travel is based on environmental studies, public comment, land acquisition and other factors. Project leaders presented the recommended alternative through several community meetings this summer, drawing hundreds of people ranging from drivers wanting the toll road as an option to reduce congestion on I-85 to residents opposed the road regardless of its route. Online groups formed on each side of the debate, including gastonsecc.com opposing the southern route, stopthetollroad.com opposing any parkway and buildthegardenparkway.com (now defunct) supporting the project.

If completed, the Garden Parkway will be a toll road alternative to I-85 connecting Gaston and Mecklenburg counties. The 21.9-mile project will connect I-485 near Berewick in Mecklenburg County to I-85 in western Gaston County, costing $1.18 to $1.42 billion. For more information, visit ncturnpike.org.