News

RDU is on its way back – and then some
This week, JetBlue announced that they would add seven new destinations from RDU in early 2021. The announcement may be the strongest statement of confidence re: air service in this market — and air service in general — since early March. Our weekly Thursday Thoughts at 3 blog provides more thoughts on this expansion — which will make JetBlue our largest airline by number of destinations by early spring — and the state of air service going forward.

Millions in federal transit funding for the Triangle…
Our region received two federal grants this week to advance bus rapid transit and complementary transit-oriented development. FTA has awarded $35 million for construction of the New Bern Ave. BRT corridor in Raleigh, which represents nearly half of the project’s total capital cost. The Town of Chapel Hill also received over half a million dollars to plan for transit-supportive development around the future North-South BRT line. RTA has been pleased to write letters of support for these and other initiatives – and we are even more pleased to see these investments in our near-term transit future.

…And for much of central North Carolina
NCDOT has been awarded nearly $1 million to help Triangle-area communities plan for development along the north-south “S-Line” rail corridor, which serves communities including Southern Pines, Sanford, Apex, Cary, Raleigh, and Wake Forest. NCDOT has been a great partner with RTA, on initiatives ranging from the NC Turnpike/540 acceleration to the Freeway And Street-based Transit (FAST) network study to America’s first Dynamic Left Turn intersection. We congratulate NCDOT for this federal grant, which will open a new intercity passenger rail opportunity for the extended Triangle region.

We wish each of our members and partners a very happy holiday season!

Let’s get moving,

Joe

Joe Milazzo II, PE
RTA Executive Director