Answer Man: Are Arboretum police real cops? I-26 funding?

Today’s batch of burning questions, my smart-aleck answers and the real deal:

Question: A question for you about the North Carolina Arboretum campus police: What jurisdiction do they really have on their campus, and what real authority do they have in giving a warning ticket for an expired North Carolina plate that says, "You must return this within three days signed by an Asheville Police officer affirming that you've corrected the expiration issue?" What ramification would there be if you never returned that warning ticket? By the way, the tag was just 12 days expired. Like that's a long time...geez.

My answer: Hey, some of those bonsai trees get pretty rowdy at times.

Real answer: "They’re sworn law enforcement officers," said George Briggs, executive director of the North Carolina Arboretum, which is part of the University of North Carolina system. "They’re campus police, just like all of the police you see on all university campuses. They have full jurisdiction."

The 435-acre campus in the Bent Creek area has four campus officer positions, three of which are currently filled. Briggs said they provide security throughout the campus, enforce all applicable laws, and yes, they do carry firearms. The arboretum is open seven days a week, so four officers is not a huge staff.

The officers do try to be "user-friendly," as Briggs puts it, as they want arboretum visitors to enjoy the place. But as sworn officers, they also cannot ignore state laws.

"When they see something like an expired tag, that puts them in a bind because they really have the obligation to uphold the law," Briggs said. "When they see something like that, they usually give a warning ticket. Really, I think of it as them doing a favor to the driver."

That's because that warning could easily save them from getting a full-blown, very expensive ticket outside the arboretum.

By the way, Briggs said a campus officer issued a ticket to a family member of his who couldn't drive the vehicle until he got the problem resolved.

Question: On the I-26 bridge/connector project, with the interest rates low now, wouldn’t it be cheaper to go ahead and secure the funding for the project now? Can the DOT do this? Wouldn’t it save a lot of money? How much is it supposed to cost anyway?

My answer: We may have to stick with a more reliable source of income — bake sales and a Gofundme website.

Real answer: It's not that simple.

"Projects such as the I-26 connector are paid for as highway funds come in," said Rick Tipton, division construction engineer with the North Carolina Department of Transportation's Asheville office. "We do not secure all of the funds up front for a project."

If the DOT needs additional funds, the state may consider issuing bonds, but the General Assembly has to authorize those, as they're paid back over a longer time period.

Now, about that price tag.

"The approximate cost for all three sections from Interstate 40 to Broadway range from $589.7 million to $783.4 million, depending on which alternatives are selected," Tipton said.

The reader didn't ask about a timetable, but I know some folks will be curious. Here's the latest we have, from a January story in the Citizen-Times:

• Construction to reconfigure the I-26/I-40/I-240 interchange on the west side of the city and possibly widen part of I-40 is to begin in 2021, and construction of a wider I-240 in West Asheville is not scheduled until after 2025.

• The DOT's Transportation Improvement Plan calls for construction to begin in 2023 on the portion of the I-26 Connector to run between the I-240/Patton Avenue interchange in West Asheville northeast to U.S. 19-23 near Montford. Work on that section includes a new crossing of the French Broad River north of Bowen Bridge.

This is the opinion of John Boyle. To submit a question, contact him at 232-5847 or jboyle@citizen-times.com