RTA members,
For this week’s briefing, we highlight a massive federal funding win for the region for a long-time priority of RTA. We also provide a final reminder of next week’s I-40 Partnership meeting. See brief articles below.
Thank you for your membership, as always, and have a great weekend.
Let’s get moving,
Joe Milazzo II, PE
RTA executive director
NCDOT receives $550m in funding for Southeast high performance rail — the culmination of a 34 year overnight success
On October 20, 1992 — 34 years ago this week — USDOT designated the Southeast high speed rail corridor from Washington to Richmond to Raleigh to Charlotte.
This week, on Thursday, October 15, USDOT and the Federal Railroad Administration formally obligated more than $500 million in passenger rail infrastructure funding for construct the southernmost portion of the Raleigh to Richmond proposed S-Line high performance rail corridor. The initial segment is located in central and northern Wake County, and will connect downtown Raleigh / Raleigh Union Station to Wake Forest.
This week’s announcement is wonderful news, and the regional business community expresses appreciation for bipartisan congressional support this project has received, as well as through various administrations in Washington. Kudos to NCDOT and congratulations to the current and future residents and visitors to North Carolina and Virginia who will enjoy this service.
Learn more, including quotes from our RTA chair and chair-elect, in this week’s blog.
I-40 Partnership annual meeting – next Thursday, October 22, at SAS
A friendly reminder that RTA members and partners will gather one week from today at the I-40 Regional Partnership annual meeting at SAS Institute in Cary on Thursday afternoon, October 22, beginning at 1 pm. The I-40 Regional Partnership is a public-private initiative coordinated by NCDOT and RTA since 2009, with an ongoing focus on improving the operation of Interstate 40, including access to and from the Interstate. You can register for the meeting via this link; we encourage you to do so by this coming Monday, October 19, due to capacity, campus security, and logistical reasons.
