Be it known, the citizens of Union County, North Carolina, joined by the Union County Board of County Commissioners, hereby petition the State of North Carolina, Governor Beverly Perdue and Transportation Secretary Gene Conti to request the North Carolina Department of Transportation repair, replace and upgrade the bridge on the southern end of (ST1321) Cuthbertson Road, without closing access to Cuthbertson Road via the intersection at Providence Road and Cuthbertson Road. Where as, the citizens of Union County welcome and encourage the North Carolina Department of Transportation efforts to improve and increase the safety and efficiency of Union County roads, Where as, the replacement of the bridge on Cuthbertson Road is indeed a necessary project and important for the traffic flow for the roads servicing large subdivisions and a brand-new high school and middle school slated to be open in the fall 2009, Where as, the closing of Cuthbertson Road to replace the bridge, will create a detour exceeding 5-10 miles, add an extreme burden to emergency services, thus endangering the health and safety of citizens and children living in the subdivisions and attending the schools by lengthening the response times as fire, police and ambulance services are typically dispatched from the Waxhaw service area, Where as, a further burden will be placed on the unimproved and nonstandard intersection of New Town Road as being the only road access for citizens, school buses and emergency services. We, the undersigned citizens of Union County request the existing bridge be left in place while the new bridge is being constructed, thereby maintaining traffic flow and citizen safety from both ends of Cuthbertson Road.