{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://butterfield.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/butterfield-applauds-transportation-association-s-approval-of-us-highway", "Butterfield Applauds Transportation Association\u2019s Approval of U.S. Highway 264 Designation as Future Interstate", "2016-11-15", "2016", "2016-11", "Democrat", "House", "NC", "G. Butterfield", "B001251", "butterfield.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) applauded the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials\u2019 (AASHTO) approval of Future Interstate 587 between Zebulon and Greenville, North Carolina along U.S. Highway 264.\u00a0 The approval is an important step in Butterfield\u2019s vision to better connect Eastern North Carolina with Interstate 95 and the entire Eastern Seaboard.\u00a0 The U.S. Department of Transportation\u2019s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) must also approve the Future Interstate for it to become a reality and is currently reviewing the North Carolina Department of Transportation\u2019s (NCDOT) application to transform the highway into an interstate.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\n\u201cDesignation of U.S. 264 as a Future Interstate is critical to addressing the infrastructure needs of the growing region,\u201d said Butterfield.\u00a0 \u201cBy approving the state\u2019s request, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials is supporting efforts to better connect Eastern North Carolina with the rest of North Carolina, as well as neighboring states.\u00a0 It is now my hope that the Federal Highway Administration will approve the state\u2019s application without delay to help modernize infrastructure in Eastern North Carolina and spur economic growth in the region.\u201d\nLast week, Congressman Butterfield and Congressman Walter Jones (NC-03) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Anthony Foxx calling for the FHWA to approve NCDOT\u2019s request to designate portions of U.S. Highway 264 as a Future Interstate.\u00a0 \nIn September, the Eastern North Carolina Gateway Act of 2016 was introduced in the House of Representatives by Butterfield and Jones as H.R. 6105 and in the Senate by Senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis as S. 3378.\u00a0 The bill would help better connect eastern North Carolina with Interstate 95 and the entire Eastern Seaboard and is an important component of Butterfield\u2019s vision for transportation in the region. \nGreenville is the 10th largest city in North Carolina, and the largest city in North Carolina without an interstate highway.\u00a0 The approval of NCDOT\u2019s application would designate the U.S. Highway 264/64 split from Zebulon to Greenville as a High Priority Corridor and Future Interstate.\u00a0 Many portions of U.S. Highway 264 are already built to interstate standards.\u00a0 NCDOT has committed to completing the Future Interstate within 25 years.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://butterfield.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/butterfield-applauds-transportation-association-s-approval-of-us-highway"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5267871785908937, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}