Land Condemnation and Eminent Domain

Every two years, the North Carolina Department of Transportation releases a massive document called the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).  The STIP outlines transportation projects scheduled within the next decade and the associated costs. However, with inflation on the rise and department funds quickly dwindling, this blueprint will see some significant changes in the decade ahead. Delayed…

When the government contacts you about seizing (or condemning) your property under the power of eminent domain, you may be left wondering what to do. As a property owner in North Carolina, you reserve the right to contest condemnation of your property through eminent domain if it was not conducted properly or in good faith.…

Now that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal is in effect, many North Carolinians anticipated that construction projects would resume across the state. However, that may no longer be the case as project contractors face staffing shortages and supply chain issues. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) reports that there will be significant delays before a number of…

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is seeking public input on its plan to convert Capital Boulevard into a 10-mile controlled-access highway up to 8 lanes wide between I-540 in Raleigh and Purnell/Harris roads in Wake Forest. While NCDOT intends to decongest traffic and reduce long and unpredictable commute times, unfortunately, the project requires…

This month, President Biden signed a $1 trillion infrastructure plan into law, allocating billions of government dollars to bridge replacement, public transportation, electric vehicles, broadband internet, and the nation’s highway programs. This significant, bipartisan government package is known officially as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. North Carolina can expect to see around $9 billion…

A state audit and reworked cost estimates revealed that NCDOT was planning projects that were billions of dollars more than it could afford. Consequently, current and future projects are expected to either be put on hold or stop altogether. Though it is normal for cost estimates and projects to be reevaluated periodically, this instance is…

The NC Department of Transportation is not out of the woods just yet in its ongoing financial crisis. After a recent state audit of NCDOT, its findings showed that despite the DOT’s skyrocketing financial status since 2020, the department is still expected to exceed its budget. Furthermore, the audit determined that if there are no…

The Senate approved a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan on August 10th, 2021, with a rare coalition of Democrats and Republicans joining in overcoming skeptics and delivering a cornerstone of President Joe Biden’s agenda. The 69-30 tally provides momentum for this first phase of Biden’s “Build Back Better” priorities, now headed to the House. A…

State and local governments around the country have a long history of exploiting their power to help well-connected industrialists and real estate developers at the expense of the general public.  On Tuesday, March 23rd, House Bill 271 was approved by the House Committee on Judiciary 1. It would allow North Carolinians to vote on whether…

Before the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) began clearing land for the final portion of the Triangle Expressway, its archeology unit searched for campsites used by North Carolina’s earliest settlers. Anytime NCDOT proposes a large construction project, federal law requires documenting of historic or prehistoric sites in the construction corridor. As a result of…