News

RTA members: As the calendar turns to July, we have the opportunity to declare independence from congestion — in the skies, and on our roadways — this holiday weekend. 

Please take a moment to send in two quick support letters this week:  one for a new primary runway at RDU, and one to eliminate all stoplights on Capital Boulevard north of 540.

See simplified instructions below.

Thank you to all RTA members who have already sent one or both letters in. Please reply or text me with questions.  —  Joe

Support letter 1:  A new runway for America’s fastest-growing airport

As we noted earlier this week, a recent article highlighted the fact that RDU is now the fastest-growing airport in the nation. This growth further reinforces the need to identity sustainable funding to replace our primary 5L-23R runway at the airport.

We are asking all RTA members to submit a letter to USDOT in support of the new runway by July 10th. A revised, simplified* one-page template and instructions is available via this link:  [letsgetmoving.org/RDUrunwayletter]. 

Thank you to everyone who has sent in a support letter. If you sent one prior to June 1st, we encourage you to send another, using the new template.

* Note:  We have just corrected some of the “cc” addressees for the new letter template today (7/1/23). If you sent a support letter this past week, please forward your letter to this address.

Support letter 2:  A multimodal freeway for Capital Boulevard

As we mentioned last week, NCDOT has proposed eliminating all traffic signals along US 1 from I-540 north to the Franklin County line. This would be a fantastic improvement in mobility, connectivity, reliability, and safety.

Thank you to everyone who has already sent a letter of support for a new, multimodal freeway for US 1 north. If you have not yet sent one in, please do so by NCDOT’s deadline of this Friday, July 7th. Please see this link: [letsgetmoving.org/FreewayOne] for simplified instructions.

Happy anniversary I-885 — and happy birthday America

This weekend marks the one year anniversary of the opening of the I-885 Connector in Durham. That freeway, which opened June 30th of last year, was our organization’s top priority for many years, and has provided significant improvements for travel while relocating through traffic from Downtown Durham.

Finally — happy 247th birthday America. We are a great nation, and thanks to all of our people, our best days are yet to come.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Let’s get moving,

Joe Milazzo II, PE
RTA Executive Director

Click here for prior RTA Member Briefings and RTA Blogs.