STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

BEVERLY E. PERDUE TURNPIKE AUTHORITY EUGENE A. CONTI, JR. GOVERNOR SECRETARY
NORTH CAROLINA TURNPIKE AUTHORITY
1578 MAIL SERVICE CENTER, RALEIGH, N.C. 27699-1578
TELEPHONE: 919-571-3000 FAX: 919-571-3015

July 30, 2010

To:   Members of the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee
From:   Transportation Secretary Gene Conti and Turnpike Authority Director David Joyner
Subject: 2010 Mid-Year Report
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In accordance with General Statute 136-89.193 (c), we are pleased to present the following report on the Turnpike Authority’s activities during the first half of 2010.

The Authority continues to make significant progress on six toll projects across North Carolina, each of which will improve mobility, reduce congestion and help ensure that our state’s highway infrastructure meets the growing demands of our motorists.

As North Carolina continues to face economic hardship, toll revenues have taken on an increasingly important role in providing valuable funding for vital improvements across the state that cannot be paid for through traditional financing alone. These revenues not only help pay for the highways on which they are collected, but they also free up money for other much-needed projects that will benefit travelers throughout North Carolina.

In recognition of the growing need to utilize innovative financing options and a more diverse array of operational tools to optimize the performance of our transportation infrastructure, the N.C. Turnpike Authority was fully integrated into the N.C. Department of Transportation this past June. This
transition began in 2009 at the direction of Gov. Bev Perdue to improve the efficiency of both agencies and provide better coordination of our closely related missions. House Bill 1734, “DOT Powers and Duties Changes,” solidified this transition by clarifying that the Turnpike Authority is
now a part of the Department of Transportation, which is critical to our future efforts to obtain bond financing.

It is our expectation that the integration of the Turnpike Authority into NCDOT will provide valuable knowledge and experience as we work to upgrade our transportation system. The Turnpike Authority is on the cutting edge of implementing both alternative financing tools, such as careful consideration of North Carolina’s first public-private partnership for the Mid-Currituck Bridge in Currituck County, and in system operation technology, as demonstrated by the first all-electronic toll collection contract for a start-up toll agency awarded in May for the Triangle Expressway in Wake and Durham counties.
The Turnpike Authority continues to conduct significant outreach efforts to educate North Carolinians on the value of toll roads and the many benefits they offer to our motorists and our communities. We are also taking steps to mitigate the effect of our current budget situation on these projects and ensure that they are completed in a timely and cost-effective manner.
Below is an update on each of the Authority’s six projects:

Turnpike Authority 2010 Mid-Year Report