news-record.com

This loop never seems to end in North Carolina: Political pull influences highway spending. Or appears to.

Articles in the Charlotte and Raleigh papers last week raised alarms about $270 million in highway money suddenly flowing for a loop around Fayetteville while projects in larger cities are stuck for lack of funding.

Transportation Secretary Lyndo Tippett, who will leave office with the administration of Gov. Mike Easley in January, lives in Fayetteville. So does powerful state Sen. Tony Rand, who has pushed for funding for the project.

Tippett defended the decision to channel money to Fayetteville as justified by Fort Bragg expansion.

Doug Galyon, the Greensboro resident who leads the state Board of Transportation, agrees with the Fort Bragg rationale. He also noted: "Unfortunately for the secretary and everybody else, it doesn't look good to get that much money at one time."

Greensboro's urban loop has experienced its share of delays, and Galyon fears the eastern segment, next scheduled for completion, could suffer because of funding shortfalls.

One problem is that loop funding decisions aren't subject to the formulas that govern the distribution of money for other transportation projects.

Galyon believes the board should address that problem to make sure funds go where they're most needed.

Until that happens, political pressure, staff whims or the exertions of individual board members can carry the day.

As a board member representing one of 14 geographic districts, "You've got to push your projects," Galyon said. "Absolutely I'm going to push as hard as I can."

Those are the rules now. But they ought to be changed to make sure the most important transportation needs, determined by objective criteria, are funded first. Where's the most traffic? What's most critical to economic growth? What can have the biggest impact for each dollar spent? What projects address emerging issues?

The Fayetteville project, or any other, should compete on its merits. Who's in the loop shouldn't matter.