A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to remove the restriction on the Turnpike Authority's selection of a corridor location for the Southeast Extension PROJECT OF N.C. 540; TO SET FORTH A NEW PRIORITIZATION PROCESS FOR SELECTION OF FUTURE TURNPIKE AUTHORITY PROJECTS; AND TO REMOVE AUTHORIZATION FROM THREE PROJECTS OF THE TURNPIKE AUTHORITY.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 136‑89.183(a)(2) reads as rewritten:
"§ 136‑89.183.  Powers of the Authority.
(a)	The Authority shall have all of the powers necessary to execute the provisions of this Article, including the following:
…
(2)	To study, plan, develop, and undertake preliminary design work on up to eight Turnpike Projects. At the conclusion of these activities, the Turnpike Authority is authorized to design, establish, purchase, construct, operate, and maintain the following projects:
a.	Triangle Expressway, including segments also known as N.C. 540, Triangle Parkway, Western Wake Freeway in Wake and Durham Counties, and Southeast Extension in Wake and Johnston Counties.
	c.	Monroe Connector/Bypass.
		Any other project proposed by the Authority in addition to the projects listed in this subdivision requires prior consultation with the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations pursuant to G.S. 120‑76.1 no less than 180 days prior to initiating the process required by Article 7 of Chapter 159 of the General Statutes.
With the exception of the projects set forth in sub‑subdivisions a. and c. of this subdivision, any Turnpike Project selected for construction by the Turnpike Authority, prior to the letting of a contract for the project, must be (i) eligible for funding under G.S. 136‑188 or subject to G.S. 136‑18(42); (ii) included in any applicable locally adopted comprehensive transportation plans; and (iii) shown in the current State Transportation Improvement Plan."
SECTION 2.  The Department of Transportation shall strive to expedite the federal environmental impact statement process to define the route for the Southeast Extension of the Triangle Expressway Turnpike Project by promptly garnering input from local officials and other stakeholders, accelerating any required State studies, promptly submitting permit applications to the federal government, working closely with the federal government during the permitting process, and taking any other appropriate actions to accelerate the environmental permitting process.
SECTION 3.  As part of its oversight of the Department of Transportation, the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee shall closely monitor the progress of the Southeast Extension of the Triangle Expressway Turnpike Project.
SECTION 4.  This act is effective when it becomes law.