"Of course it is true, piene2, that "robbing Peter to pay Paul" (i.e. diverting gas tax money to other uses) is done all the time everywhere but that doesn't make it right. People drive drunk or commit murder all the time everywhere too but those things aren't right either. sinenomine"

Drunk driving and murder are of course common but hardly comparable to stealing from peter to pay Paul. By the way, I must agree with you about driving in Washington DC. I used to have frequent business there and always stayed in Silver Springs and took taxis back and forth.

Of course it is true, piene2, that "robbing Peter to pay Paul" (i.e. diverting gas tax money to other uses) is done all the time everywhere but that doesn't make it right. People drive drunk or commit murder all the time everywhere too but those things aren't right either.

North Carolina used to be called "the good roads state". After years of neglect and diversion of road funds that phrase is now a bad joke; our roads are lousy. Insomuch as our gas tax is one of the highest, if not the highest, on the East Coast I don't see where we should pay tolls just to have the same level of safety and comfort on our roads which we once did without the necessity for tolls. Instead let the legislators do their jobs, quit wasting our money, and set about repairing the road network we already have.

Having grown up in Washington DC I am, I might add, an expert on poor paving. A Metrobus can fall out of sight in that city and people think it's just a pothole.

"The state has been using the gas tax to pay other bills, jburack"

So what? It is called, stealing from Peter to pay Paul and I doubt that there is a single public, private or individual entity that has not done it at one time or another. Find something else to whine about.

Truly American: I think their are many flaws in your plan to take everything down to 2 lanes. There would be many more wrecks. People in a hurry passing when they shouldn't, road rage and what have you. Cars idling along at 10 mph stop and go would probably create more pollution rather than less. The roads would wear out faster with more traffic on a more confined space. And it might take an extra hour to get to work in the morning.

I don't understand why we could initially afford interstates (during Roosevelt)and now we need to toll. I think everyone should do what I just did. Go get on the new toll road, get the smallest bill possible and then send multiple checks to pay the bill.

Tolls would absolutely be another way of spending money wrecklessly. We don't need that.

there is no money for I95 but why is it everytime wake co. ask for a road the state finds the money .oh they are the only ones that need good roads .they got I40to the coast , 64 4 lane to the mountains and know US1 to Southern Pines 4lane at 70 MPH so they can play golf .

We're going about this all wrong. If we simply reduced all roads down to simple 2-lane affairs, once roadways were so congested with drivers headed down to the corner quickie-mart for the 3rd time that day, maybe folks would start getting a bit smarter and only driving when they needed to. Or carpooling. Or taking public transportation. But we'd end up saving in a lot of ways. Fewer road building projects. Less maintenance and upkeep of existing roadways. Lower gas prices, fewer accidents, less pollution, and so many other pluses. Current contrustion projects already do this for us. While road construction is in progress, we're down to 1 or 2 lanes anyway. So we're already used to driving that way. Simply stop all new construction, allow roadways to deteriorate, and quit spending any more money on all of these SOCIALISTIC PROGRAMS. Put the roads back into the hands of private corps where they BELONG!

The state has been using the gas tax to pay other bills, just like they have been dipping in the lottery money for other bills, no matter what the people say the abuse goes on. we are taxed on everything you can think of in this state and always we come up short, where is it going and why is nobody is being held accountable, are state auditor who has found people who abuses some of the laws was stoned walled for what she found, The good old boy system has run rampant too long, you keep saying more taxes but we never get ahead, I'll bet if you make I-95 a toll road, the money will be funneled somewhere else and a excuse will be used for why.

Georgia hasn't built a single new interstate highway since the 1960's. North Carolina has built and continues to build HUNDREDS OF MILES of brand-new interstate and interstate-quality highways. What other state besides Texas builds as many new roads as NC? I want to know.

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