Slush Fund Slights Safety Projects

RALEIGH — N.C. Department of Transportation Secretary Lyndo Tippett has diverted millions of dollars that could have been used for documented highway safety needs to projects selected by legislative leaders. According to state law, the DOT secretary is to approve all projects financed from a $15 million annual “contingency fund,” but DOT records and interviews show that for the past few years Tippett gave $5 million a year each to the speaker of the House and president pro tem of the Senate to spend on projects they chose. Rep. Jim Black, D-Mecklenburg, and Sen. Marc Basnight, D-Dare, hold those offices.