Community Uproar means no Slow Motion Phases

If folks hadn’t gotten out, the Authority would not have made the changes they are offering up. A poll taken May 2010 found 64% of Gaston County residents are opposed to the toll road to no where. Only 22% of Gaston County thinks the back country toll road might be a good idea. The Authority said it heard “loud and clear” that if it is going to build its garden country road, it has to do it all at once. Under this new plan, the Authority intends to purchase right of way for the whole project up front all the way from 485 to 85. The old plan would have left the property owners between US 321 and I-85 stuck with no way to sell until money was found for phase II, which could have been 20 years or more.

Over 7,000 petition signatures

Citizens all over Gaston County are opposed to this $1.2 billion toll road to no where, and they let elected officials know. In summer 2009 over 7,000 petition signatures against the toll road were delivered to the Turnpike Authority and the town councils of Gastonia and Belmont. To put this number in perspective, only 8,000 turned out for Gastonia’s election in 2007, and there were only 1,400 votes in Belmont’s municipal election.

Rally in Belmont



Over 60 people rallied against the toll road at Belmont City Hall in July 2009, the word is now all over the county that the dead end toll road will make traffic on I-85 worse.  Even the chairman of the Gaston County Commissioners, Mickey Price, came to observe the community in action.  As he looked out over the rally, Price told the Gazette that he was concerned that the toll road wouldn't relieve congestion on I-85 like had been promised for twenty years.

Fox News did a great job making sure listeners knew how the $35 million in state tax money could be better spent over the next forty years.  News 14 showed that folks had turned out in force, and News 3 picked up the story.  WCNC (News 36) let people know that the toll road would only promote suburban sprawl, suck business out of our downtowns and add to the traffic on I-85.  The Charlotte Observer told readers that folks would be willing to sacrifice for the good of the county, but this toll road does no good for anyone but developers. 

Rally in Gastonia

One week later, 75 folks again waved yellow signs and chanted “no toll road,” this time for the benefit of Gastonia’s city council. We gave the hospital CEOs, retired bankers, land investors and Chamber employees who got paid to hold green signs an unopposed 30 minutes -- from 5:00 until 5:30 -- so that the working folks who have made up this citizen’s movement would have a chance to get home from work. Click here to view footage from the WCNC coverage, and click here to read the Gaston Gazette article and view more video footage.

Speaking to Elected Officials

Your campaign against the toll road is still hard at work. In late March 2010 over 50 people came out to Gastonia on short notice and spoke their mind to the Transportation Advisory Council, leaving no doubt that the toll road should go nowhere. The TAC is made of elected officials from Gaston County towns. Many of the members were new on the TAC, and your standing up helped educate those officials to the many problems with the parkway. More than one official left the meeting wondering what was the point of this back country toll road.

Taking Action

There is still more work to be done. Citizens need to let our county commissioners and elected official in Gastonia and Raleigh know that they have been hoodwinked. TPA says the purpose isn’t to relieve traffic congestion on I-85, and that to toll road won’t do it. But the documents say otherwise – the purpose of this road was to relieve congestion on I-85, US 321 and US 74, and it just won’t do the job. Click here to learn more about what must still be done.