Garden Parkway

The North Carolina Turnpike Authority is planning to build a new highway that will go from I-485 near the Charlotte Airport, across Lake Wylie and the South Fork of the Catawba River, into southern Gaston County. This road is euphamistically referred to as the "Garden Parkway".

 Garden Parkway Preferred Alternative 9In November 2009, the Turnpike Authority announced the selction of a route.  The so called "preferred route" is Route #9 and it can be viewed by clicking on the map to the right.

This project will have a major impact on the Catawba River in the form of construction run-off, ongoing stormwater and the increased development.The Catawba River, South Fork Catawba River, and several streams and creeks would be crossed by the parkway. The DEIS concluded that the construction of the Garden Parkway will have “very strong effects” on water quality, wetlands, impaired waterways, and watersheds.

Concerns about the "Garden Parkway"  

  • The "Garden Parkway" will cause the destruction of the "garden" environment that currently exists in southern Gaston County.
  • The proposed tollway will use North Carolina tax dollars on a project that will move jobs from North Carolina to South Carolina.
  • A less expensive and more effective way of relieving congestion on I-85 is to widen I-85.  New roads have a history of encouraging sprawl and increasing congestion.
  • The project is similar to the new tollway in Greenville, South Carolina, which has been a failure
  • Little to no consideration throughout the Analysis for increased traffic along connecting roads, especially Hwy 321
  • FERC Comments in their Draft EIS for the Duke Hydroelectric Project (Lake Wylie) that municipalities and road projects have filled many wetlands in the area- this project does more of the same
  • FERC Comments in their Draft EIS for the Duke Hydroelectric Project (Lake Wylie) that municipalities and road projects have increased sedimentation into area reservoirs- this project does more of the same
  • Potential for soil erosion during and after construction is tremendous!
  • Soil compaction inhibits groundwater and stream recharge in an area that has experienced increasing drought conditions in the past decade
  • Lake Wylie, South Fork Catawba River, Catawba Creek, Crowders Creek, etc. already impaired- thus any additional impacts from construction would be imminently deleterious to wildlife
  • Accelerated runoff from road’s surface will transport sediment downstream from impaired stretches to unimpaired reaches in Gaston Co. creeks
  • Accelerated runoff will increase bank instability and bank-side erosion, further degrading streams
  • Acidification, salinization (salt content) and thermal warming of stormwater runoff to local streams- many of which are degraded and/or impaired
  • Alteration of topography affects local water flow not just at stream/creek/river/lake crossings
  • NEPA requires that an “EIS must identify all the indirect effects that are known, and make good faith effort to explain the effects that are not known but are ‘reasonably foreseeable.”- The Environmental Impact Statement for the project doesn’t even mention the potential impacts of intense suburban sprawl and increased commuter distance to Charlotte.
  • More impervious road leads to increased dehydration and inundation anomalies- something our area has attempted to avoid through intense water conservation measures through our most recent drought of record (2007-2009)
  • Meandering road increases the tollroads “roadway footprint”
  • Consideration of cumulative impacts to habitat segmentation/fragmentation
  • Project will cause light pollution and litter, as well as increased road kill.
  • Project will contribute to ground-level ozone aka smog unattainment status.  This region is becoming ever-closer to more strict requirements under the Clean Air Act to reduce surface level emissions in the Charlotte metropolitan area.
  • Urban renewal and enhancement programs/plans for municipalities along the Parkway would be impacted negatively due to satellite thoroughfare with sprawled development.
  • Mitigation for impacts not even glanced at in EIS -  just stated that this is subject to 404 process by Army Corps. of Engineers and NC DWQ
  • NO NEED FOR A ROAD WITH MULTIPLE BRIDGES TO NOWHERE WITH NO TRUE DECREASE IN TRAVEL TIME!!
  • Potentially Beneficial Regional Alternative for Commuters with less environmental destruction: East-West connected by Light Rail along existing railway, or other transit corridors (I-85 or Hwy. 74 (Wilkinson Blvd.)) or a Heavy-rail commuter line for East-West Connection

More Information

For more information about problems with the project, go to http://www.stopthetollroad.com/

For the official Turnpike Commission summary and map of the selected route click here.

For Summary of the project prepared by the Gaston Southeast Connector Coalition, click here.

For even more information, please check out our Garden Parkway Documents Library.

Document Actions
Covekeeper Meetings

Join us for our monthly Covekeeper Meetings:

Lake James: 2nd Thursday at 6:30 p.m. - 4794 E. Shores Dr., Morganton, NC.

Lake Hickory & Lake Rhodhiss: 3rd Monday at 7 p.m. - 320 Mauney Hall at Lenoir-Rhyne College 

Lake Norman: 4th Thursday - East Lincoln Fire Department on South Pilot Knob Road off Hwy. 16.

Mountain Island Lake: 2nd Monday at 7 p.m. - Cooks Presbyterian Church

Lake Wylie: 2nd Wednesday at 7 p.m. - T-Bones on the Lake 

Lake Wateree: 2nd Thursday at 7 p.m. - Dutchman Creek Fire Dept. 

Please check the calendar section of the website to verify the meeting time and location.

News
Jan 30, 2012 Catawba River One of Top 10 Endangered Places in the South
On January 26, 2012, the Southern Environmental Law Center announced its annual list of the Top 10 Endangered Places in the Solutheastern U.S. The Catawba-Wateree River was back on the list as the 3rd most endangered place in the Southeast because of the threats from coal ash, power plant water use and unnecessary reservoirs.
Jan 26, 2012 Soil runoff from Target project still damaging stream
Catawba Riverkeeper volunteers have been closely monitoring the development of the new Target store near Cox Road and I-85. This project required moving a large portion of a hillside and rerouting a stream. As reported in the article, it is questionable about whether it is feasible to limit sedimentation in the short-term and whether the site will be stable over the long term.
Jan 18, 2012 Catawba Riverkeeper Files Lawsuit Against SCE&G
On January 12, 2012, The Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of Catawba Riverkeeper, filed a lawsuit against SCE&G to require a cleanup of coal ash ponds with a long history of leakage.
Jan 07, 2012 Coal Ash Dumping on the Rise
The Environmental Integrity Project reports that toxic coal ash dumping on the rise in the South.
Dec 15, 2011 Concerns Raised Again About Coal Ash Pond on Wateree River
Coal ash pervasive: 2 billion pounds of power plant waste gets in ponds, landfills in SC.
More news…
Alliances

The Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation is a proud member of EarthShare North Carolina, River Network, the North Carolina Conservation Network, and the Waterkeeper Alliance.  EarthShare North Carolina makes it possible for employees to support the environment through workplace giving programs.  River Network’s mission is to empower and unite people and communities to protect and restore rivers and other waters that sustain the health of our country.  The NC Conservation Network supports, trains and coordinates diverse groups and directly advocates to achieve equitable and sustainable solutions for our environment.  The Waterkeeper Alliance is a worldwide network of advocates for protection of our water resources.  For more information about these organizations or to inquire about enrolling your employer in EarthShare NC, please contact CRF@catawbariverkeeper.org.

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421 Minuet Ln Ste 205 . Charlotte, NC 28217-2784 . Phone: 704.679.9494 . Fax: 704.679.9559