 |
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
News December 9, 2008 July 23, 2008 July 18, 2008 November 29, 2007 November 29, 2007 October 31, 2007 October 29, 2007 September 18, 2007 May 1, 2007 January 19, 2007 January 17, 2007 December 13, 2006 October 11, 2006 October 4, 2006 August 26, 2006 August 18, 2006 August 14, 2006 August 7, 2006 May 31, 2006 April 26, 2006 January 5, 2006 December 15, 2005 July 23, 2008 Alliance members and partners, We are happy to announce that the Regional Transportation Alliance was named a finalist for the 2008 "Organizational Champion of the Year" by the Alliance for Regional Stewardship (ARS). To be considered for this national award, organizations needed to demonstrate progress in one or more of the four Principles of Regional Stewardship: Innovative Economy, Livable Community, Social Inclusion, Collaborative Governance. Casey Steinbacher, president of the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, one of the four founding chambers of the RTA, noted that the ARS Organizational Champion awards are “given to regional initiatives that are truly making a difference in their region and are hailed as role models for emulation by other regions” and that “the competition was intense and this recognition is truly an honor.” Executive Director Joe Milazzo II will accept the award on behalf of the RTA later this month in Pittsburgh at the ARS annual event along with two national winners and the three other national finalists, prior to the American Chamber of Commerce Executives annual convention. Thank you all for your continued support of mobility in the Triangle region! Rusine Mitchell-Sinclair Chair, July 18, 2008 We have led the regional effort to accelerate the construction of this turnpike freeway for the past several years. With the signing of the State Budget Act by the Governor on Wednesday, July 16, 2008 – Gap Funding for the Triangle Expressway and other projects included among the provisions – and with the ratification of the Toll Authority Enforcement bill on Friday, July 18, 2008, it is clear that our sustained efforts have borne fruit, and that this State has made a significant commitment to expanding mobility options. We are pleased that the Triangle Expressway has now cleared many of the hurdles required for it to move forward to construction this fall. We know that there is additional work ahead of us, but we have much to celebrate today. We have worked together with our public and private partners—the Turnpike Authority, NCDOT, our area MPOs, our area legislators and local elected officials, our federal delegation, and countless others—to bring this project to the cusp of construction. With continued focus and dedication, I am confident that this critical link in our future mobility infrastructure will soon become a reality. Thank you for your membership in the regional business leadership group for mobility. Rusine Mitchell-Sinclair June 5, 2008 Recognizing that the ideal solution may not be financially attainable, the Alliance advocated for a smaller, but more affordable, widening of I-40 between Raleigh and Cary. Alliance multimodal chair Fred Burchett and Alliance immediate past chair Ed Willingham led the organization's efforts in 2007 to get the suggestion considered and incorporated in the draft TIP. NCDOT Board Members Nina Szlosberg and Ken Spaulding appreciated the suggestion, NCDOT Division Engineer Wally Bowman reviewed the concept, the Capital Area MPO incorporated the revision, and this morning the NC Board of Transportation approved the widening of I-40 from four to six lanes between Crossroads and Wade Avenue. Construction will begin by 2010. Approval of the I-40 widening means a clear victory for regional mobility! Congratulations to all Alliance members and partners for their support, encouragement, engagement, and commitment to the critical transportation issues in the Triangle! Rusine Mitchell-Sinclair Download the newly approved 2009-2015 TIP here: see Division 5, project I-4744, for the I-40 widening project November 29, 2007
However, the report also noted a myriad of challenges facing our growing region:
The overriding message was simple: we are making good progress, but our growing region needs to continue making strategic mobility investments if we are to keep moving. The full presentation is available for download from the Alliance Web site at: http://www.letsgetmoving.org/pdfs/07.mobility.pdf November 29, 2007 The North Carolina Department of Transportation earned the 2007 regional freeway project of the year award for completion of I-540 in northeastern Wake County. The completion of this section of the Raleigh outer loop in early 2007 to the new U.S. 64 bypass east of Raleigh created a direct freeway alternative to I-40 between RDU airport and points east. The Special Transit Advisory Commission (STAC) took top honors as the regional transit initiative of the year. The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Capital Area metropolitan planning organizations jointly created the STAC as a regional advisory body concerning transit issues. Raleigh/Durham Airport Authority won the regional air service enhancement of the year award for adding the most new carriers in a single year. The addition of three carriers helped increase the number of new destinations for air travelers from central and eastern North Carolina and southern Virginia. The City of Durham's Downtown Streetscape Project earned the regional pedestrian-bicycle improvement of the year award. The Durham Rising celebration in June highlighted the efforts to enhance the Bull City's downtown by reconstructing streets, improving pedestrian facilities, and encouraging investment in the center city. The Triangle Transit Authority, N.C. State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and SmartCommute@RTP were jointly recognized for the 2007 Bike to Work week. More than 600 cyclists, including more than 150 who had never before biked to work, participated in the event in 2007, saving more than 10,000 commuting miles in a single week. The Town of Cary earned the regional highway project of the year award for improvements to Highway 54 and Chapel Hill Road. Completed earlier this year, the widening provided more space for vehicles and bicyclists, an attractive streetscape, and signal timing improvements at the Chapel Hill Road-Maynard Loop intersection. October 31, 2007 I-40 Cary/Raleigh slated to be constructed years earlier than expected NCDOT released Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2007, its draft 2008-2015 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) document. Included is the widening of I-40 between Cary and Raleigh from four to six lanes—a centerpiece of Alliance efforts this past year under 2007 Chairman Ed Willingham IV. The I-40 project has gone from unfunded to fully-funded status. Also included in the draft TIP is a sorely needed improvement at the I-540/I-40 interchange in Durham County at the Wake County line. The Alliance salutes the NCDOT, our area metropolitan planning organizations, and local and state elected officials for their efforts in accelerating these key projects. May 1, 2007 January 19, 2007 If a commitment can be secured early in 2007, the Turnpike Authority may be able to proceed with advance right-of-way acquisition, which would potentially accelerate the delivery of the project by an additional year and minimize inflation-related costs and uncertainty. Last year, the Triangle supported Senate Bill 1381 which provides more than $100 million in gap funding. Click here for our 2007 Legislative and Policy Priorities. According to Alliance Vice Chairman Rick Weddle with the Research Triangle Foundation, “These are very needed projects for the Triangle, the economic engine for much of central and eastern North Carolina. We are facing a $65 billion transportation shortfall. The State should leverage limited transportation resources by providing the gap funding needed for turnpikes to succeed.” Alliance Chairman Ed Willingham of First Citizens Bank noted, “Our mobility challenges are growing but the opportunities for success in 2007 are real. The regional business community is prepared to help lead the effort.” Click here for the Alliance presentation slides. January 17, 2007 We will highlight the regional business community's 2007 legislative priorities for transportation as well as our ongoing legislative and policy objectives—many of which are shared by our transportation partners in the region. We are inviting the entire regional legislative delegation to hear about these vital transportation funding and policy needs in the Greater Triangle area. The forum will also provide an opportunity for legislators and others to offer feedback and guidance to the Alliance and our partners. Our mobility challenges are growing but the opportunities for success in 2007 are real. For more information about the forum, please contact Stephanie Maliszewski at 919.664-7062 or stephanie@letsgetmoving.org. December 13, 2006 At the Alliance's annual meeting on December 13, the organization presented three awards to the most significant mobility accomplishments for the region during 2006. Regional Freeway Project of the Year Regional Traffic Operations Project of the Year Regional Air Service Enhancement of the Year Click here for more information on the 2006 Annual Meeting. December 5, 2006 The Alliance will unveil the 2006 State of Mobility in the Triangle report at the event and hear a panel discussion on the future of regional mobility. The panel will include Congressman David Price and NCDOT Secretary Lyndo Tippett. Contact the Alliance at 919.664-7062 for more information, to RSVP, or to sponsor the event. October 11, 2006 We would like to thank Ken Spaulding and the other members of the Board of Transportation for their support of loop funding for the East End Connector as well as our local and state elected officials and Turnpike Board members for their support of turnpikes to accelerate completion of Interstate 540 and Triangle Parkway. Constructing these three critical projects will complete the Research Triangle Freeway, a vital mobility corridor in the heart of the Triangle. We encourage the Turnpike Authority, the Department of Transportation and legislative leaders to continue to explore innovative ways to accelerate these and other critical projects, including gap funding for proposed turnpikes in Durham and Wake counties and "GARVEE" bonds for Interstate 40 between Raleigh and Cary (the last two-lane section from Chapel Hill to Garner) and U.S. 401 north to Franklin County. Libby Barnes, President and CEO, Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce Harvey Schmitt, President and CEO, Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Howard Johnson, President and CEO, Cary Chamber of Commerce Aaron Nelson, Executive Director, Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce October 4, 2006 As Alliance chairman Ed Willingham has noted in a recent letter to the editor, it is imperative that the region take a "fresh, deliberate, and reasoned look" at transit options for this growing metropolitan region that serves as the economic engine for much of central and eastern North Carolina. An effective way to begin our fresh look at transit is to examine what has worked—and has not worked—in other areas. Our friends at the Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS) are hosting a free event later this month, entitled "Growth, transit, choices". The RTA has signed on as an organizational sponsor for the Thursday, October 19 forum (4 - 7:30 pm, Museum of History, downtown Raleigh)—please click here for more information and/or to preregister. Speakers will include representatives from the emerging rail transit system in Charlotte as well as existing rail transit systems in Dallas, Denver, and Salt Lake City. In addition, Congressman David Price—a 2005 Alliance Transportation Champion -- will provide a national perspective. We encourage each of you to consider attending this important RTA-sponsored event, and to tell your colleagues and neighbors. Our commitment to the regional discovery process of transit options will not stop here. The Alliance has commenced our own introductory research into a range of transit options—not limited to rail transit—in order to complement the transit infrastructure blueprint process being undertaken by our area MPOs, the Triangle-J Council of Governments, TTA, and NCDOT. For a sample of some of the transit concepts we have identified during our initial review, please visit the RTA's "fresh look at transit" options Web page, which we will update on an ongoing basis. We will provide our findings to our area MPOs and other partners as they embark on a detailed technical review of potential transit corridors in our region. Of course, the Alliance will also actively participate in the emerging MPO processes for transit planning. The Alliance will offer our members and partners other information and outreach venues to support our region's fresh look at transit, including upcoming Alliance Transportation Academy series luncheons that will focus on a variety of potential options for key corridors in the Triangle (click here for a review of topics from any of our nine previous Academy sessions since 2003) as well as the ongoing Triangle Mobility Action Partnership (Tri-MAP) forums. A long-term solution for transportation to key regional destinations must be found. The Alliance is committed to playing a leadership role in the discussion of the best opportunities for transit in our area. On behalf of the Regional Transportation Alliance business leadership group, thank you for your support of mobility in the Triangle, both today and in the future. August 26, 2006 As the regional business leadership group that focuses on relieving traffic congestion and enhancing mobility, the Regional Transportation Alliance acknowledges the Triangle Transit Authority's hard work over the years and shares its disappointment that the proposed rail system as it was envisioned will not meet federal guidelines. Of course, we understand the fiscal realities of the situation, and we appreciate the leadership that our federal delegation has shown through its ongoing support during the process. It is imperative that TTA and our region take a fresh, deliberate and reasoned look at what transit should look like in the future. This is an ideal opportunity to acknowledge the range of opinions surrounding transit in our region and to identify and prioritize our options in a spirit of collaboration. As the regional business community‚s voice on mobility and multimodal transportation issues, the Alliance would welcome the opportunity to help lead the conversation on transit options that will help all of us get from here to there more quickly, more efficiently and more safely in the years ahead August 18, 2006 Completion of the Western Wake Freeway (I-540) and Triangle Parkway – which together may cost around $800 million – has been a longstanding priority of the Regional Transportation Alliance. With limited state transportation funds continuing to lose the battle against growing demands and increasing inflation, the likelihood of constructing these freeways by traditional means is waning every day. Recognition of this funding situation led 2005-06 Alliance Chairman Joe Freddoso and five mayors from southwestern Wake County to ask the NC Turnpike Authority to examine tolls as an option to accelerate I-540 and Triangle Parkway in a resolution accepted by the Authority in December 2005. The Turnpike Authority reported earlier this summer that toll revenues appear to present a promising opportunity to accelerate the completion of these freeways by a decade or more by financing the majority – although not all – of the construction costs. In early August, Governor Mike Easley signed Senate Bill 1381 into law. This statute affords the region the option to convert the section of I-540 under construction near Morrisville to a turnpike route in order to reduce the funding gap for proposed area turnpikes. The Alliance helped craft two successful amendments to this bill, including a provision that requires that any toll revenues generated from a segment of highway converted to a turnpike stay only on that road or a feeder toll route (Section 4 of the bill). On Wednesday, August 16, Alliance Chairman Ed Willingham of First Citizens Bank spoke of the need to move forward with the study of accelerating I-540 and Triangle Parkway as turnpikes. After presentations by the Turnpike Authority and a very productive discussion among our local elected officials, CAMPO (Wake County/eastern Triangle transportation planning group) approved the final phase of the I-540/Triangle Parkway traffic and revenue study. Also on Wednesday, August 16, the Turnpike Authority unanimously approved a Revenue Retention policy at their board meeting. This policy is consistent with the intent of legislation introduced by Alliance legislative partners earlier this year (H2829, S1826) to preseve direct user fee relationships for toll roads. Approval of this policy represents a clear willingness on the part of the Authority to listen and respond to concerns of the business community and area elected officials. The entire approved Revenue Retention policy is listed below:
The Alliance would like to applaud the Turnpike Authority and NCDOT for their ongoing efforts to accelerate I-540 and Triangle Parkway by a decade or more. In addition, the regional business community salutes the efforts of our local elected officials as they move forward with their agreement with the Turnpike Authority and proceed to the next phase of the study. This brings us much closer to completing these critical mobility links for the entire Triangle region. For more information on accelerating I-540 and other regional transportation issues, please visit the related links below. August 14, 2006 The SmartCommute Challenge -- a partnership of SmartCommute @ RTP, TTA, and Triangle Air Awareness -- exists to make people more aware of the available travel options for their commute to work. The 2006 kickoff event occurs Tuesday, August 15 at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts (directions link) in downtown Raleigh. 2006-07 Alliance Chair Ed Willingham will provide the keynote. Many Alliance members are participating employers for this year's challenge, including: Arcadis, BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, Capitol Broadcasting Company, Cisco Systems, Credit Suisse, Duke University, First Citizens Bank, GlaxoSmithKline, IBM, the News & Observer, North Carolina State University, Progress Energy, the Research Triangle Foundation, Rex Hospital, Sas, Time Warner Cable, the University of North Carolina. In addition, our regional partners the Capital Area MPO, Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro MPO, and the Triangle Transit Authority also participate, along with NCDOT and cities and counties across the region. 2006 was a good year in the legislature for the Regional Transportation Alliance and our mission to enhance mobility in the Triangle area. Thanks to the efforts of the Alliance and our legislative and transportation partners, the NC General Assembly ratified a bill (S1381) that should increase the viability and acceptance of turnpikes as a potential means of accelerating key area roadways including I-540 and Triangle Parkway. This legislation provides the region with an option to help reduce the funding gap for accelerating construction of these roadways and represents a significant victory for regional transportation and statewide public policy. Summary SB 1381 passes with Alliance-backed amendments The ratified version of Senate Bill 1381 authorizes, but does not require, the tolling of a portion of I-540 currently under construction near Morrisville in order to generate additional toll revenues for regional turnpike construction. If signed by the Governor later this month, S1381 will afford the region the option to convert that section of I-540 under construction to a turnpike route in order to reduce the funding gap for proposed area turnpikes and bring the region closer to realizing the potential of completing both the Triangle Parkway and the Western Wake Freeway portion of I-540. The Alliance helped craft two successful amendments to S1381 designed to increase the acceptance and viability of tolling as an option to accelerate these proposed roadways. These amendments require that any toll revenues generated from a segment of highway converted to a turnpike stay only on that road or a feeder toll route (Section 4 of the bill) and ensure that our area metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) for transportation have approval authority before a non-toll route is converted to a turnpike (portion of section 3). The legislation also identifies Triangle Parkway and I-540 as specifically authorized turnpike corridors and eliminates the need for additional legislative approvals before construction of these freeways. The Alliance would like to thank all legislators from the region and across the State who voted for either of the amendments and/or the amended bill itself. The Regional Transportation Alliance would also like to express our gratitude to the NC Turnpike Authority and NCDOT for their ongoing efforts to provide a new user-fee option to relieve congestion in the Triangle. May 31, 2006 Alliance members are not only enhancing their own commute but are also helping thousands of other commuters by identifying problem intersections. The Alliance "Adopt-A-HotSpot" program then partners with area transportation agencies to see if a solution can be found. Three intersections along major corridors have already been improved by area transportation agencies this spring with the help of the RTA's "Adopt-A-HotSpot" program, including: US 70/Glenwood Ave and T.W. Alexander Drive in northwest Raleigh T.W. Alexander Drive and Miami Blvd in Durham T.W. Alexander Drive and IBM/Adventis in Durham The Alliance would like to thank the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the City of Durham for their assistance in making timely improvements to critical intersections. We look forward to continuing our partnerships with local and state transportation agencies in order to help the region spend less time commuting and more time with family. April 26, 2006 Delta Airlines has agreed to commence non-stop service from RDU to LAX (Los Angeles) beginning in June 2006. Delta's flight to LAX will represent the only direct flight from eastern North Carolina to any Pacific Coast state. JetBlue Airways, a new carrier at RDU, has agreed to commence non-stop service to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) beginning in July (link). JetBlue's flights to JFK will be on new 100-seat Embraer 190 aircraft that provides satellite radio and television to all patrons. JetBlue's new flights will complement several existing non-stop offerings to metro New York airports from Raleigh-Durham via Continental, American, Delta, and US Airways/United. In addition, JetBlue will provide RDU travelers with additional low fare alternatives for transcontinental service via JFK. In early 2006, the Regional Transportation Alliance commenced a partnership with RDU Airport to enhance the air service offerings available to regional air travelers. Improving air service was identified as the number one economic development priority by the Research Triangle Regional Partnership economic development organization (link). Increasing the number of direct flights from RDU is also an Alliance priority, and we are happy to provide the assistance and expertise of the region's business leadership organization for transportation to this effort. Carriers make decisions on retaining new routes based on business performance. In less than two months, we will have our first opportunity in years to demonstrate that Triangle, eastern North Carolina, and southern Virginia fliers will patronize more convenient direct routes from RDU to the west coast. Success here may help lay the groundwork for other destinations including Denver and the Bay Area of California. We encourage you to take advantage of the new and existing direct service offerings whenever your business or personal travel schedule permits. for more information see the current newsletter from RDU. For more information on the need for new service see the following links: |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
