Tagged: I-540

State lawmakers in the Senate have tentatively passed a bill that would revive a federal study of a proposed section of the 540 Outer Loop highway across Wake County. Back in 2011, Garner residents convinced lawmakers to pass a bill that banned studying what's called the Red Route. It's a proposed part of the Outer Loop that would have required bulldozing parks and neighborhoods in Garner. Local leaders favor what's known as the Orange Route, but that would extend through wetlands that are home to an endangered mollusk.

A group of Wake County mayors is asking the legislature to repeal a law that bans a possible route for the rest of highway 540. The panel voted Wednesday to put the so-called "Red Route" back on the table after federal regulators said they would cut funding for the project if the state does not allow the DOT to study all possible routes. That proposal has been unpopular among the planning board. It would take 540 through Garner rather than around the south side of the town. Most mayors say they voted to repeal the Red Route ban in order to get the funds back.