THEN PROTESTERS MARCHED DOWN
MAIN STREET.
POLICE STAYED NEARBY TO MAKE
SURE THINGS STAYED PEACEFUL.
NORTH CAROLINA'S DEPARTMENT
OF TRANSPORTATION HAS TAKEN A
HUGE FINANCIAL HIT THIS YEAR.
LEADERS SAY IT'S BEEN ONE THING
AFTER ANOTHER IN 2020.
TRAFFIC TEAM 9'S MARK TAYLOR
HAS BEEN DIGGING INTO THE
BUDGET CRUNCH.
THOSE CUTS HAVE IMPACTED DOZENS
OF PROJECTS ACROSS THE STATE.
BETWEEN SOME OF THE NATURAL
DISASTERS THE STATE D.O.T.
HAS SEEN OVER THE PAST FEW
YEARS, THE LAYOFFS, THE
FURLOUGHS.
NCDOT'S BUDGET HAS BEEN HIT
HARD.
AFFECTED EVERYTHING FROM
CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS TO
MAINTENANCE.
WE DEALT WITH MAJOR
HURRICANES, MATTHEW, MICHAEL,
FLORENCE.
WE HAVE HAD SNOWSTORMS AND
SEVERE WEATHER IN VARIOUS PARTS
OF THE STATE AND ROCK SLIDES.
ALL OF THESE DISASTERS HAVE HIT
OUR BUDGET AND HERE COMES COVID-
19.
EVERYBODY HAS HAD EVERY WAY OF
LIFE TURNED UPSIDE DOWN,
INCLUDING OUR DEPARTMENT.
TRAFFIC VOLUME STARTED
DECREASING IN MARCH BY MID
APRIL NCDOT REVENUE WAS DOWN
ABOUT 30%.
BECAUSE D. O.T.
RELIES ON REVENUE FROM THINGS
LIKE GAS TAX, THAT'S A DIRECT
HIT TO THEIR BAT TOM LINE.
ABOUT $300 MILLION SHORT
FALL JUST IN THE LAST QUARTER
OF THE FISCAL YEAR LAST YEAR.
WE'VE HAD TO SUSPEND A LOT OF
WORK ON NEW PROJECTS SCHISMLY
BECAUSE THE FUNDING IS NOT
AVAILABLE TO MOVE FORWARD.
LIKE A PROJECT THAT WAS
SCHEDULED HERE DOWN IN WAXHAW
WHERE ORIGINALLY NCDOT APPROVED
TURN LANES AND A TRAFFIC SIGNAL
AT THE INTERSECTION.
SOMETIMES YOU SIT THERE FOR
10, 15 MINUTES BEFORE YOU CAN
TURN LEFT.
IT'S GOT TO BE OUT OF THE
GRACIOUSNESS OF SOMEONE
STOPPING AND LETTING YOU GO
LEFT.
AS PEOPLE CONTINUE TO WORK
FROM HOME, ANOTHER CONCERN FOR
THE D.O.T.
WILL TRAFFIC EVER RESUME TO
NORMAL?
OUR GOAL IS TO KEEP THE ROAD
SAFE.
WE DO WANT TO DELIVER THESE
