News

Member Briefing: January 18, 2019

Let’s embrace courage at the RTA annual meeting
2019 is off to a positive but focused start, and our 17th annual meeting, The State of Mobility 2019,  will be a vital opportunity to celebrate, understand, and move forward. While the new year definitely brings uncertainty, we promise to show courage during the event this coming Thursday, Jan. 24 — it is an opportunity you won’t want to miss. Be sure to register today — you have one or more tickets to the luncheon included with your membership.

And, let’s have the courage to focus on I-40 in the region’s core
Last month, I noted some of the upcoming corridor and interchange improvements along I-40 in Johnston County and by RDU Airport. I also noted that I-40 will still need more work — particularly west of Raleigh towards and within the RTP area — and that we would be creating a Let’s Make I-40 Better action team. That initiative launches this week, and all RTA members are welcome to participate. Please let me know if you and/or a colleague want to be a part of this vital group. We will be speaking more about this in upcoming weeks, and we are committed to working in partnership with NCDOT and others going forward to make I-40 better. 

I-40 enhances west of Durham and Chapel Hill
Speaking of I-40, NCDOT will be holding a public meeting on the proposed widening of I-40 in Orange County next Thursday evening, Jan. 24. The proposed widening will occur between US 15-501 near the Chapel Hill/Durham municipal lines and the I-85 merge at Hillsborough. When complete, I-40 will be three or more lanes per direction throughout Orange, Durham, and Wake counties. Construction is now slated to begin in the 2021-22 time frame, which is a welcome acceleration. In addition, the project will include intelligent transportation improvements throughout the corridor and further east on I-40. We have all experienced westbound delays where the freeway drops from three to two lanes, and this improvement would greatly alleviate congestion there while preparing for the future. 

Thank you for your investment in the RTA business coalition! I look forward to seeing you on Thursday, Jan. 24, for our 17th annual meeting.

Let’s get moving,

Joe

Joe Milazzo II, PE
RTA Executive Director



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