Rural areas underfunded by STI scoring formula
Currituck County
Summary
Board members and Senator Hanig pressed DOT on how the scoring formula disadvantages rural areas — congestion and economic-competitiveness criteria favor cities, and Region A gets only 8% of regional impact funds based on permanent population, not the tourist traffic this county actually handles. Hurricane evacuation routes don't count in safety scoring at all.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 2
- Last 30 days
- 0
Last discussed May 1, 2026.
Impact analysis
Region A had only about $800 million available for all projects in the current STIP — far short of what rural northeastern North Carolina needs.
Urban areas like Raleigh and Charlotte, where congestion scores are high, benefit most under the current formula.
Rural counties like Currituck struggle to score well and secure funding for projects their economies depend on.
Mentions & discussions (2)
Board of Commissioners (Special)
The state ranks counties by economic distress to decide who gets development funding — Currituck's ranking doesn't match its actual infrastructure and service needs. The board backed a regional Chamber-led push to fix the formula, including adding population back into it.
Animal Services and Control Advisory Board
Board members and Senator Hanig pressed DOT on how the scoring formula disadvantages rural areas — congestion and economic-competitiveness criteria favor cities, and Region A gets only 8% of regional impact funds based on permanent population, not the tourist traffic this county actually handles. Hurricane evacuation routes don't count in safety scoring at all.
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