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Columbus joins county to make US 74 an interstate

COLUMBUS—The Town of Columbus has joined Polk County officials in approving a resolution supporting the designation of a future interstate quality corridor along U.S. 74. 

Columbus Town Council met last week and approved the resolution, which would improve U.S. 74 to interstate status from Asheville to Wilmington. 

The Polk County Board of Commissioners approved a similar resolution earlier this year. 

Following is the resolution the Town of Columbus recently approved: 

WHERAS, the need to improve US 74 to an interstate status from Asheville to Wilmington to improve freight movement and in-state access through southern North Carolina has been identified in previous studies; and

WHEREAS, an interstate quality US-74 corridor will provide better connectivity, business planning, transportation safety, and resource efficiency from I-26 to I-85; and

WHEREAS, every county that borders Rutherford County (Polk, Henderson, Buncombe, McDowell, Burke, Cleveland, Cherokee SC and Spartanburg SC) has a federally designated interstate corridor that traverses their counties; and

WHEREAS, local governments and businesses within the corridor collaboratively seek to build a responsive, regional economic development infrastructure to increase trade and industry and to promote opportunity recognizing that these efforts are hampered in Polk County due to the lack of a federal interstate designation along this corridor; and

WHEREAS, North Carolina’s federal legislative delegation has the authority to submit legislation granting a Future US-74 Interstate status from I-26 to I-85; and

WHEREAS, because a section of Highway 74 east of Charlotte has a federal interstate designation, the section between I-26 and I-85 would require a different interstate name. 

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN O COLUMBUS: that the town council of the Town of Columbus requests that our North Carolina federal legislative delegation submit and support federal legislation to secure a future interstate designation for the section of US-74 from I-26 to I-85; and, 

BE IT ALSO FURTHER RESOLVED that the clerk provide a copy of this resolution to the NC Transportation Secretary and the Polk County State and Federal legislative delegations requesting their support.