North Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bond (2015)

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This measure was not put on an election ballot

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The North Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bond did not make the 2015 ballot in North Carolina as a legislatively referred bond question. The measure would have issued $1.5 billion in bonds for the construction, improvement and relocation of highways, roads, bridges and related infrastructure.

The bond measure was proposed by Gov. Pat McCrory (R) during his 2015 State of the State Address. Legislation for the bond was introduced into the legislature as a section of the 2015 Governor’s Budget Bill, also known as House Bill 940. Part XXV of the bill, or the "Critical Highway and Infrastructure Needs Bond Act of 2015," addresses the bond, along with a government buildings bond, and is about nine of the 202 pages constituting the bill. Approval of the governor's budget would put the bond on the ballot.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The proposed ballot title was:

“

[ ] FOR [ ] AGAINST The issuance of one billion five hundred million dollars ($1,500,000,000) State of North Carolina Highway Bonds constituting general obligation bonds of the State secured by a pledge of the faith and credit and taxing power of the State for the purpose of providing funds, with any other available funds, to fund the construction, improvement, and relocation of highways, roads, bridges, and any related infrastructure of the State.

”

Support

Supporters

• Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce
• Rowan County Chamber
• Cabarrus-Rowan MPO Transportation Advisory Committee
• Winston-Salem MPO Transportation Advisory Committee

Media editorial positions

Support

• The Fayetteville Observer said, "This is one of the fastest-growing states in the country, and our crumbling, inadequate highway system can choke growth and economic expansion. … Pick up the phone or grab the keyboard. This should not be a political issue. The expansion is common sense and it won't add any tax burden. Like we said, it's a no-brainer."

Polls

See also: Polls, 2015 ballot measures

North Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bond (2015)
Poll	Support	Oppose	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size
Tel Opinion Research, LLC 5/14/2015 - 5/17/2015	67.0%	21.0%	12.0%	+/-3.2	1,000
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing ballot measures in North Carolina

State of the State

The bond was proposed by Gov. Pat McCrory (R) during his State of the State Address on February 4, 2015. He made transportation an important theme during his address. He promoted the following agenda:

“	Let’s talk about our third focus: Transportation and Infrastructure. During the past decade or so, as I have driven down the highways of North Carolina, I’ve noticed it goes from 2 lanes, to 4 lanes, back to 2 lanes, to 8 lanes to 4 lanes and then back to 2 lanes. And everywhere it gets wider it’s named for a politician or a DOT board member. And where the congestion choke points still exist…the road is nameless. That’s not the way we do things anymore. We’ve taken the politics out of road-building by putting in place a transportation formula that focuses on relieving congestion, improving safety and growing and connecting the economy in all parts of our state. Those changes allow us to be more efficient with taxpayer dollars. In fact, we’ve more than doubled the number of transportation projects that will be built. This new approach will create thousands of new jobs during the next 10 years. Our 25-year transportation vision connects small towns to economic centers. These connections will make it easier for people to travel to jobs, schools, hospitals and parks. Our 25-year plan also recognizes that even with the new formula, we can only build one out of five projects, and counties and cities tell us they need more. Therefore, I will request a transportation bond of $1.2 billion that will allow for the quicker construction of projects in the 25-year vision plan. Projects funded through a revenue bond would be the next projects in line, scored under the Mobility Formula, with environmental documents in place so we can begin these projects immediately. Here are a few examples of what we can achieve with the Mobility Formula. This proposed bond as part of our 25-year vision. For our coastal counties we’ll make it easier for the military to move troops and equipment during deployments while helping transport goods at our ports. It will relieve congestion during the busy tourist season and improve emergency evacuation routes. In the east, we’ll connect eastern North Carolina to the Hampton Roads region in Virginia. In the central part of the state, we’ll focus on relieving interstate congestion bottlenecks and easing the flow of freight. And in the west, we’ll connect the mountains to the coast by improving the flow of traffic from Wilmington to Asheville. Additionally, I will support your efforts to protect and stabilize our existing transportation revenue streams while also looking at funding reform and alternatives for our future transportation and infrastructure needs.	”
—Gov. Pat McCrory

Legislature

Melanie Jennings, a spokesperson for the state budget office, said McCrory's proposal would be introduced into the legislature by or before April 16, 2015. On April 16, the bond proposal was introduced as part of the 2015 Governor's Budget Bill, also known as House Bill 940.

The North Carolina Legislature needed to call a special election in order for the legislatively referred bond questions to appear on a ballot because no statewide elections were scheduled to occur on November 3, 2015, or on any other date in 2015. A simple majority vote is required in both chambers to refer the issue to the ballot.

The measure did not make it a ballot. It was referred to committee and lawmakers did not take it up for discussion.

Related measures

• North Carolina State Government Buildings Bond (2015)

See also

Suggest a link

• North Carolina 2015 ballot measures
• 2015 ballot measures
• North Carolina Legislature