RTA 2026 Leadership Briefing and Field Visit to Annapolis and Suburban Maryland
Monday July 20 – Tuesday July 21, 2026
– Arrival and networking commence at 11 am on Monday, July 20
– Programming will begin at noon on Monday, July 20
– The tour will conclude at 2 pm on Tuesday, July 21st
Please register for the tour using this registration link.
On July 20 and 21, 2026, RTA will visit the Annapolis and Suburban Maryland area. We will have an opportunity to learn about and/or visit various examples of multimodal infrastructure and priorities, including BRT, junior freeways, ramp management, transit policy, and more, in central Maryland.
RTA thanks our honorary chairs for the Maryland tour – NCDOT Chief Engineer Patrick Norman and NCDOT Deputy Secretary for Multi-modal Transportation Julie White – for their leadership and partnership, as we learn together for the future of our region and state.
Confirmed tour participants as of 5.5.26
- Patrick Norman, NCDOT, Chief Engineer; Honorary co-chair, RTA Maryland Tour
- Julie White, NCDOT, Deputy Secretary for Multi-modal Transportation, Honorary co-chair, RTA Maryland Tour
- Jennifer Portanova, NCDOT, State Traffic Engineer
- Becca Gallas, NCDOT, Division 5, Division Engineer
- Felix Obregon, NCDOT, Division 10, Division Engineer
- Katherine Eggleston, GoTriangle
- Matthew Clark, GoTriangle
- Jason Hardin, GoTriangle
- Doug Plachcinski, Triangle West TPO
- Sarah Gaskill, FUJIFILM Biotechnologies, RTA chair
- Emily Poole, HDR
- Dave Smith, Martin Marietta
- Nicole Bennett, VHB
- Joe Milazzo, RTA executive director
- Jacob Rigg, RTA membership operations coordinator
Confirmed premier tour sponsors as of 5.5.26
- (tbd)
Contact RTA membership operations coordinator Jacob Rigg to sponsor or for more information
Confirmed tour sponsors as of 5.5.26
- Amgen (RTA Omnia Gold member)
- Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina (RTA Omnia Gold member)
- GoTriangle
- HDR
- NCDOT
Contact RTA membership operations coordinator Jacob Rigg to sponsor or for more information
Registration pricing:
Prior to June 1, 2026:
- Public sector $ 765
- RTA member $1195
- Non-member (not available prior to June 1)
June 1 or later, 2026:
- Public sector $ 975
- RTA member $1395
- Non-member $1995
Tour registration includes: overnight hotel stay at group hotel, welcome lunch, afternoon snacks, evening reception, breakfast, closing lunch, all travel during the Maryland tour (other than to/from airport), and all tour programming and materials — plus excellent regional leadership conversations and insights. Note that travel from North Carolina to Maryland is not included in the above pricing.
Sponsorship opportunities and pricing:
Tour sponsor:
Price: $2000*, includes one tour registration and named recognition at the event
* Or, register 3+ attendees for the tour. Partners and RTA members with 3+ attendees will automatically be recognized as tour sponsors.
Premier sponsor:
Price: $3500*, includes one tour registration, logo recognition, plus speaking opportunity during event
Registration, sponsorship details and deadlines:
- Pre-registration for the tour is required, and space is limited
- No limit on registrations per public sector agency
- Maximum 3 registrations per RTA member firm until May 25, 2026
- RTA membership required to sponsor the tour for private sector organizations
- RTA will open registrations to non-members on June 1, 2026 if space remains
- No cancellations after June 1, 2026; however, substitutions are permitted through July 16, 2026
Draft tour agenda (timings and topics subject to change):
Monday, July 20
- 11a – 12n – arrival/networking
- 11:30a – lunch available
- 12:00n – 12:10p – event begins
- 12:10n – 12:25p – welcome, intros
- 12:25p – 12:30p – tour overview
- 12:30p – 1:00p – presentation block – Flash BRT
- 1:00p – 1:15p – presentation block – US 50
- 1:15p – 1:30p – break
- 1:30p – 2:30p – field block/remarks – MARC commuter rail visit
- 2:30p – 3:15p – field block – windshield tour existing FLASH BRT stations
- 3:15p – 3:45p – field block – Flash BRT station visit
- 3:45p – 6:00p – field block – US 50
- 6:00p – 8:00p – evening reception
- 8:00p – 8:30p – return to hotel
Tuesday, July 21
- 7:30a – 8:00a – breakfast available, check out of hotel rooms
- 8:00a – 8:30a – presentation block – Md. Toll 200; Intercounty Connector (ICC) Trail
- 8:30a – 8:45a – break before departure
- 8:45a – 10:15a – field block – Toll 200 and ICC trail
- 10:15a – 11:00a – field block – Great Seneca Science Corridor
- 11:00a – 12:30p – field block – future FLASH BRT corridors
- 12:30p – 12:45p – break, lunch available
- 12:45p – 1:15p – presentation block – future of BRT in Maryland, transit policy
- 1:30p – 1:45p – presentation block – US 50 ramp management
- 1:45p – 2:00p – wrap-up session – final observations
- 2:00p – tour ends
- Jamie Henson, Montgomery County Department of Transportation (BRT Implementation)
- Caitlin Tobin, Maryland Transit Administration (MTA)
RTA
Regional Leadership Team
RTA Gold Members
Amgen
Dewberry
Duke Energy
First Citizens Bank
FUJIFILM Biotechnologies
Google
Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce
HDR
HH Architecture
IBM Corporation
Kane Realty
Kimley-Horn
Martin Marietta
McAdams
Pinnacle Financial Partners
Raleigh Chamber
Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority
Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina
The Spectrum Companies
Smith Anderson
Sunrock Industries LLC
United Therapeutics
VHB
Wake County Economic Development (EDGE6)
Wetherill Engineering, Inc
WSP
RTA Silver Members
Bolton & Menk
Capitol Broadcasting Co., Inc.
Chatham Park / Preston Development
Coastal Federal Credit Union
CSL Seqirus
DRMP
Duke University
Eagle Eye Consulting
Enbridge Gas
Fidelity Investments
First National Bank
Forge Nano
Fox Rothschild LLP
GFT
GoRaleigh / City of Raleigh
GoTriangle
Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau
Helix Ventures
KCI
KDC
Lenovo
North Carolina State University
Novo Nordisk
RTI International
SAS Institute Inc.
STV Inc.
TA Loving
The Umstead Hotel & Spa
TowneBank
Truist
UBS
UNC Chapel Hill
UNC Health
Wake Technical Community College
Westin Raleigh-Durham Hotel
York Properties, Inc./McDonald-York Building Company
RTA Senior Regional Partners
Capital Area MPO
Central Pines Regional Council
Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro MPO
City of Durham
GoRaleigh / City of Raleigh
GoTriangle
Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority
Town of Cary
Town of Knightdale
Town of Morrisville
Town of Holly Springs
RTA Member Chambers
Angier Chamber of Commerce
Apex Chamber of Commerce
Benson Area Chamber of Commerce
Cary Chamber of Commerce*
The Chamber For a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro*
Chatham Chamber of Commerce
Clayton Chamber of Commerce
Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce*
Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce
Franklinton Chamber of Commerce
Fuquay-Varina Chamber of Commerce
Garner Chamber of Commerce
Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber of Commerce
Holly Springs Chamber of Commerce
Knightdale Chamber of Commerce
Moore County Chamber of Commerce
Morrisville Chamber of Commerce
Greater Raleigh Chamber*
Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce
Rolesville Area Chamber of Commerce
Roxboro Area Chamber of Commerce
Sanford Area Growth Alliance
Triangle East Chamber of Commerce
Wake Forest Chamber of Commerce
Wayne County Chamber of Commerce
Wendell Chamber of Commerce
Wilson Chamber of Commerce
Zebulon Chamber of Commerce
* founding member chamber
RTA Bronze members
Acuity Design Group (ADG)
AT&T
AECOM
Alfred Benesch & Company
Atkins
Clancy & Theys Construction Company
Gregory Poole Equipment Company
Highwoods Properties
McKim & Creed
Pennoni
PNC
Strada Architecture
Summit Design and Engineering Services, PLLC
WakeMed Health & Hospitals
