In response to the Jan. 10 Post editorial “Dangerous Bottleneck,” unfortunately, there exists a little publicized county resolution, signed June 16, 2003, which continues to be on record as the published stance on the widening of the I-85 bridge crossing the Yadkin.

The then Board of Commissioners, under the leadership of Steve Blount, objected to the NCDOT’s approved plan of widening the I-85 bridge, demanding that historic preservation remain the priority. The resolution cites a commitment to greenways along the Yadkin and prays for relief from “further degradation” of the Historic Trading Ford District to ensure that … the area and its historic sites can remain eligible for the National Historic Register.” This was sent to the NCDOT as a statement of resolution by that county commission purporting to be speaking for all Rowan countians.

This document served to effectively stop the NCDOT project in its tracks. In addition, it is directly responsible for the reassignment of the already approved funding to be redirected to another NCDOT project. Until our current commission chooses to rescind this resolution, Rowan County remains on record with the NCDOT as a county resolving that greenways and historic preservation trump that of human safety and common sense. To make matters worse, Davidson County executed a nearly identical resolution to cover their side of the river on June 10, 2003. You can review both of these resolutions for yourself in their entirety by accessing the blog at http://rowanpropertyrights.tripod.com/.

Contact your current commissioners now!

— Dale Wagstaff

Salisbury