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Gastonia asks for support of $75 million bond to improve roads

On Nov. 8, 2022, the people of Gastonia will vote on a $75 million general bond referendum. This will be used for streets that need to be repaved, or entirely resurfaced, and to alleviate some of the congestion issues that we have all experienced.

Gastonia has had an incredible amount of growth and our roads have simply not been able to keep pace. North Carolina Division of Transportation has us waiting years for the improvements we desperately need now. This bond referendum would allow us to bypass them and make the improvements ourselves.

Gastonia is responsible for the maintenance of 354 miles of streets in the city limits. The state is responsible for 100 miles.

We are also looking to fund smaller projects that have been put on the back-burner by the N.C. DOT such as:

  • Putting in a right hand turn lane on New Hope Road South at the Franklin Boulevard intersection, right next to Wendy’s. In fact, the owner of Wendy’s deeded that portion of land to the city years ago for that exact purpose.

  • A left turn lane on Lowell Bethesda Road at Titman Road.

And these are just two projects to mitigate traffic in our town.

If you have other suggestions, please go to the our city website and take the new traffic survey so we can hear from you. This survey will be live starting Oct. 1and will be used to determine how, and where, we utilize this $75 million.

The website explains about the bond, asks detailed questions on ranking the importance of items like safety, accessibility, etc., and provides an interactive space to determine fund allocation/pinpoint specific problem areas.

Please assist us by voting for the bond referendum and taking the online survey.

Gastonia needs its roads to keep pace with its growth in every other area. And we can determine exactly when and where these changes occur ourselves, without waiting on the state.

Gastonia Councilman Jim Gallagher learns about unemployment benefits falsely filed in his name Monday.
Gastonia Councilman Jim Gallagher learns about unemployment benefits falsely filed in his name Monday.

Jim Gallagher is a member of Gastonia City Council.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gastonia asks for support of $75 million bond to improve roads