Construction began Tuesday on North Carolina’s first bus rapid transit (BRT) line, along New Bern Avenue in Raleigh.
The city broke ground on the New Bern Avenue BRT line, which will connect downtown Raleigh, WakeMed and New Hope Road with a faster bus service and dedicated bus lanes.
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New Bern Avenue is the first corridor in the state to get this service, which provides bus-only lanes between the GoRaleigh station in downtown Raleigh and New Hope Road.
Along most of the New Bern Avenue route, the bus stations will be in the median between the different directions of traffic.
A parking lot off New Hope Road, across from the Walmart, will serve as a park-and-ride lot for 100 cars, giving commuters from eastern Wake County the option to park their car and get on the BRT.
City, county and state leaders on Tuesday celebrated the nearly $97 million BRT line, which will stop at 10 bus stations, including in front of WakeMed.
What is a Bus Rapid Transit program?
A Bus Rapid Transit has higher capacity than a regular bus transit system. It has bus-only lanes and give buses priority at traffic signals. New Bern Avenue is the first of four BRT corridors planned for Wake County.
Raleigh Mayor Mary Ann Baldwin has been pushing for improved public transportation for 10 years.
"I am just thrilled. This will be a game changer," she said. "New Bern Avenue is our largest service line. This is going to make life easier for so many people."
Richmond, Virginia, has had a BRT line in place since 2018.
"It’s amazing," said Corey Branch, Mayor Pro Tem. "It’s a game changer for so many people that may not have access to a vehicle or may only have access to one vehicle to be able to connect to the city and to the county."
WRAL News on Tuesday had the opportunity to ride the first BRT bus in Raleigh. The 60-foot articulated bus bends in the middle. It is 20 feet longer than GoRaleigh buses and can carry more people in a trip.
The city of Raleigh said the BRT will cut travel times by 10 to 20 minutes roundtrip – compared to the current bus service and car commute times.
Now that construction is getting started, the first BRT line should launch by mid-2025.
The complete plan calls for building approximately 20 miles of transit lanes along four BRT corridors within Wake County.