Charlotte to receive nearly $20 million in state street aid

RALEIGH – The city of Charlotte is set to get $19.8 million in Powell Bill funds from the N.C. Department of Transportation, part of $145.6 million the state is distributing to help municipalities build and maintain local streets.

The DOT is giving money to 507 municipalities across the state, and 23 of those are receiving at least $1 million in Powell Bill money, according to a news release from the state. Charlotte is getting the most money of any municipality, followed by Raleigh, $10.3 million; Greensboro, $7.4 million; Winston-Salem, $6.5 million; and Durham, $6 million.

“The Powell Bill program provides cities and towns with money to help pay for repairs, maintenance and construction of transportation-related projects, including widening and adding sidewalks on their streets,” Transportation Secretary Tony Tata said in the release. “These improvements enhance the safety and overall condition of the transportation systems used by local residents and visitors.”

Powell Bill funding comes from revenues generated by the state gas tax and other highway user fees, the release says. Since the program began in 1951, more than $3.7 billion has been allocated to municipalities. The amount each municipality gets is based on a formula set by the N.C. General Assembly. The formula requires 75 percent of the funds to be awarded based on population, while the remaining 25 percent are based on the number of street miles each municipality maintains. Charlotte has 2,442 miles of city-maintained streets.

The fund is named for Junius K. Powell, a former state senator and mayor of Whiteville, whose name led a list of legislators sponsoring a 1951 bill to help the state’s cities with urban road problems, according to the release. The first allocation of Powell Bill funds was in 1951 for $4.5 million and was distributed to 386 cities and towns.