unfurls

Author: Mary Beth Wall

  • North Carolina’s Fastest-Growing County Unveils Transit Plan to Accommodate Population Growth

    North Carolina’s Fastest-Growing County Unveils Transit Plan to Accommodate Population Growth

    Wake County’s population is projected to grow faster than any other North Carolina county–nearly 64% over the next 25 years, according to population projections from the NC Office of State Budget and Management.

    Updating public transportation and roads has become a primary focus as the county is projected to have 718,826 new residents by 2050.

    Lifelong Raleigh resident Whit Hanvey isn’t surprised at the project because the county already “looks so different than it did 10 years ago” and “seems to always be building something.”

    Every two years, the Wake County Board of Commissioners sends residents the “Wake Insights” survey, giving residents the chance to share what they feel should be prioritized. The most recent survey had 2,400 responses and included transportation and road infrastructure concerns.

    To address those concerns, Wake County is working with the North Carolina Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization to help plan future transportation needs. Wake County Deputy Director Shelby Powell says the adopted transportation plan for the region looks out to 2050 to serve the anticipated population growth. The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization serves Wake, Johnston, Harnett, Chatham, Granville and Franklin counties but does not have jurisdiction over land use, which affects transportation decisions.

    With 12 municipalities making up Wake County, land use decisions are made at the local level–at the city, town or county level. Powell said the organization will work closely with member jurisdictions to make recommendations that are “responsive to being transit-supportive or consider impacts to the road and bike networks as development occurs.”

    Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization projects are divided into corridor, hot spot and special studies. Corridor studies aim to improve transportation routes that run across the entire county. Hot spot studies are conducted at a local level where there is excessive congestion. Special studies focus on topics like safety, improvement types, and transit. The planning group compiles information about regional road safety, mass transit, and the transportation needs in vulnerable parts of Wake County.

    Two major transit projects still need approval. The Morrisville Parkway Access Management Study is waiting for approval with hopes of increasing travel routes to reduce congestion in high traffic areas. The U.S. 401 Corridor Study is also waiting for approval. With only one route available to travel from Raleigh to Harnett County, the plan calls for realigning U.S. 401 to provide more choices.  The 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan- Roadway Projects lists major road improvement projects that are estimated to be completed over the next 25 years. The projects’ costs range from $5 million to $579 million each, with most projects adding lanes to current roads and expressways to accommodate the expected growth in the region.

    Metropolitan Planning Organization executive director Chris Lukasina said projected improvements to NC 540, which is known as the “Raleigh Outer Loop,” have become more expensive because of inflation. The “Raleigh Outer Loop” is the meeting of I-540 and NC 540 and circles around the city of Raleigh.

    Phase 1 of the project will extend the Triangle Expressway about 18 miles to open a wider portion of roads. Phase 2 will extend the same expressway another 10 miles toward Knightdale to complete the “Raleigh Outer Loop.” As Wake County becomes the fastest growing county in the state, Lukasina emphasizes that “time is money, with a current estimate of $1.3 billion” for this project.

    Improvements to Capital Boulevard began in the early 2000’s and are still ongoing. The project has experienced funding delays that started in 2016 due to an increase in the cost of materials. In 2025, the project is on its fifth round of funding. The county Board of Commissioners has discussed how to obtain funding more quickly, including an added express lane with tolls.

    By “dynamically improving the toll rate” area drivers will contribute to the funding shortfall. Lukasina says, “you can’t build yourself out of congestion” and “an express lane provides a reliable travel time.” The added express lane will be available for those drivers willing to pay the extra tolls. Lukasina says adding “community support in our projects” can contribute to speeding up the projects’ timeline. 

    Wake County officials say they are improving Wake’s transportation services to adjust to the growing population. The goal is to reduce traffic congestion and improve travel times while accommodating current and future residents. A drive through the county reveals these efforts, marked by road closures and neon orange construction signs, as various transportation projects continue.

  • ECU Students Get Clarity on High February Bills From Greenville Utilities Commission

    ECU Students Get Clarity on High February Bills From Greenville Utilities Commission

    Many ECU students living in off-campus houses were shocked when they opened their February utility bills, which were substantially higher than they had expected.

    The bills came from the Greenville Utilities Commission, which is responsible for providing the City of Greenville and 75% of Pitt County residents with electric, water, sewer and natural gas services. Students at East Carolina University started to raise concerns when they noticed their February utility bill was noticeably higher than their previous month’s bill. Many students live in homes in a neighborhood located north of campus called “The Grid.”

    Many students who have rented the same homes for the past two years said they noticed their gas usage nearly doubled in February when compared to February 2024. Water, electric and sewer usage all remained relatively the same. They knew this because Greenville Utilities Commission provides customers with an assortment of data that includes all previous billing statements and usage.

    Jordan Reid, an ECU student, provided a summary of her utility statements since moving in August 2023 to her Fifth Street house. In February 2025, her gas usage had showed a 72% increase when compared to February 2024. While her home includes six residents, each had to pay about $30 more that month. A nearby ECU student, Hailey Wilkes, said she found herself paying about $50 more that month, as her utility bill is shared among fewer roommates.

    As the weather differs, students understand that each month’s bill will fluctuate, and no billing statement will be the exact same as another. Yet, many students say none have been as dramatic as their February 2025 charge. In the winter, gas usage is always greater than other months due to increased use of heating systems.

    Concerned about the increase, Reid asked GUC to ensure her home was billed correctly. A GUC customer service representative told her that the bill was correct, “and gas was working overtime everywhere because of the recent snow.” On Jan. 22, Greenville got 2.7 inches of snow, according to WITN News. This was the only snow during the February billing period.

    GUC Communications Manager Steve Hawley said students’ bills went up because of the colder temperatures. The average temperature for this year’s February billing statement was 10 degrees colder than last year’s, Hawley said, adding, “the colder it is outside, the harder heating systems have to work.”

    According to the minutes of the Jan. 16 GUC Board of Commissioners meeting, commissioners voted to extend GUC’s gas supply contract and re-calculate the rates. Hawley confirms that “rates will not go up because of this contract,” which was “extended for another 6 years.”

  • U.S. Secretary of Education nominee is East Carolina University Graduate

    U.S. Secretary of Education nominee is East Carolina University Graduate

    Most ECU students probably don’t know that President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Education is an education is an East Carolina University graduate, but faculty in the university’s Department of Foreign Languages and Literature do.

    That’s because Linda McMahon was a French major before graduating from ECU in 1969. Since then, her McMahon Family Foundation established the Linda McMahon Distinguished Professorship in Foreign Languages at ECU in 2009. She was also the ECU’s commencement speaker in 2018.

    President Trump wants McMahon to lead a department he has pledged to eliminate, with scores of employees already ordered on to administrative lead and other staff being pressured to voluntarily quit.

    McMahon was born in New Bern and attended Havelock High School while her parents worked at Marine Air Station Cherry Point. She met her future husband, Vince McMahon, at 13, and after graduating high school, the two got married when she was 17. She then pursued her education at East Carolina University where, in 1969, she received ECU’s “Outstanding Senior Award.”

    The couple moved to Connecticut and primarily lived there in the beginning of their marriage. As an only child, McMahon seemed to thrive as CEO for the professional wrestling promotion company her husband founded, WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment. In 2016, McMahon told Sports Illustrated, “I grew up as my father’s son and my mother’s daughter,” which she believes contributed to her success in the male dominated industry.

    After almost 30 years with WWE, McMahon ran as a republican for U.S. Senate from Connecticut, but lost.

    While McMahon doesn’t often publicly discuss Pirate Nation, she agreed to an interview in 2006 with Kristin Murnane, who wrote for The East Carolinian. In the interview, McMahon described her memories of “sitting in the stands and cheering” and has “all fond memories of being at East Carolina.” She added that in the years she attended, “it was just a nice, sleepy college town” with fewer than 10,000 students.