‘Road hater’? Read the facts, please

To all the folks bent out of shape because I suggested that NC DOT might have fared better if it had pushed for stimulus money for the commuter rail line in Mecklenburg instead of to repair the Yadkin River bridge, please read what I wrote, both Thursday and Wednesday.

I never said the Yadkin bridge shouldn’t be fixed. Indeed, I called it “sorely needed.” I never said commuter rail was more important. I wrote that it might be possible the state would have gotten money for commuter rail had they pushed it instead of the bridge project – a strategic decision in the realm of competing for stimulus money.

In yesterday’s piece I called the bridge project “sorely needed” and also said: “In any case, now that the state has learned the bridge repair project gets only $10 million in stimulus money, it’s moving to start the repairs in a few months.”

On Wednesday, I wrote: “The state does have $180 million money set aside for Phase 1 of the Yadkin bridge project. It can start work as early as June, he [Conti] said. That money will pay to replace and widen to eight lanes the I-85 bridge, the U.S. 29-70 bridge and reconstruct the N.C. 150 interchange. So I-85 will go from eight lanes to four, as it does now, then widen to eight again over the bridge.”

That means, as I wrote, THE BRIDGE WORK IS STARTING. THE STATE HAS MONEY. Indeed, stimulus money is supposed to go to projects that won’t get done otherwise. Is it possible that was another strike against the Yadkin bridge project?

It’s one thing to be mad about a rickety bridge. I completely agree. But how about reading the facts BEFORE you start with the insults?

I’ve been contemplating shutting down comments completely, because so many people are such jerks that it seems to just bring out the hostility all around. Thoughts?