Here's how NC will spend $35 billion for transportation projects
It may feel like you can’t drive anywhere in central North Carolina without going through a construction zone. Get ready to see even more in the next 10 years.
There are $35 billion worth of projects -- 2,362 projects -- planned along North Carolina’s roadways, some of which are funded and others which aren’t.
Projects in the 2024-2033 State Transportation Improvement Plan:
- Aviation: 74
- Bicycle/pedestrian: 381
- Ferry: Five
- Highway: 1,753
- Public transit: 48
- Rail: 101
“I try to leave as early in the morning as I can just to avoid it,” driver Jeremy Fehlman said.
Regional Transportation Alliance (RTA) executive director Joe Milazzo explained the reasons for the new road projects.
“It’s a great place to live,” Milazzo said of the Triangle. “It’s a great place to do business. We want to keep it that way.”
Milazzo and the RTA advocate for the needs of businesses in the area. Many projects RTA identified are outlined in the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s 10-year masterplan.
“[There are] some good things about it, a lot of good things,” Milazzo said. ”It’s also, perhaps, a motivational document because there’s some challenges with it as well.”
Challenges include funding for major projects like the one that would turn Capital Boulevard into a freeway system from Interstate 540 to Wake Forest.
Other projects are already underway, like completing I-540 and the widening of I-440.
“We all know how important mobility is to commerce, getting people to and from their work, their jobs, healthcare, places of worship, just their life,” Milazzo said. “Transportation is essential. We’ve got to continue to invest in it.”
