Homeowners in North Carolina have been complaining about the Map Act, where the state can lock up land for decades for new roads. The Legislature is looking to repeal these laws. The House voted unanimously Thursday to eliminate the Map Act originally approved in 1987. It prevents landowners in the path of future highways from improving their property and increasing land value.

Bill sponsors say the law has allowed NCDOT to abuse landowners by keeping them in limbo for years, leading to diminished values when the state finally buys the property.

Repeal efforts grew after the state Court of Appeals ruled NCDOT had effectively taken private property along a planned Forsyth County highway route when it published a map freezing development.

The measure cleared a House committee earlier Thursday and heads to the Senate.

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