RTA 2025 Business Plan
- October 31, 2024
- Posted by: Jacob Rigg
- Category: Blog
RTA members and partners,
Earlier this month, the RTA Steering Committee unanimously approved the RTA 2025 Business Plan. This plan is organized into 3 major sections: strategic advocacy priorities, rapid implementation initiatives and organizational priorities — and each section has exactly three focuses for the year.
The plan will help keep the regional business community organized and focused on our RTA mission of delivering business leadership to get our region moving faster. See below for an overview of the plan.
Strategic advocacy priorities
Our top strategic priority of the regional business community will continue to be identifying a sustainable business model for RDU infrastructure. This includes not only a focus on funding but a focus on approval and implementation time, including faster environmental approvals.
We will also continue our lobbying for an expanded access user fee for state transportation funding, as we build on our shared legislative successes with electric and hybrid vehicles.
Our third strategic priority involves enhanced regional transit, including our leadership on the FAST transit study and accelerating some vital wins such as an I-40/RDU exchange station.
Rapid implementation initiatives
Our top rapid implementation priority — and our top freeway priority — remains the acceleration of US 1 north / Capital Boulevard to a freeway between I-540 and the Wake/Franklin county line. This priority includes the incorporation of BRT/transit priority elements, and using tolls to accelerate construction by the end of 2025.
We are also continuing our pursuit of additional Dynamic Left Turn intersections (DLTi) in our market in concert with NCDOT and area municipalities. These very low cost improvements — less than $40,000 per approach — can reduce or eliminate the operational tradeoff between peak capacity requirements and off-peak delay reduction.
With I-40 widening complete in eastern Wake and western Johnston counties, and well underway in eastern Orange County, we have the opportunity to accelerate a SMART freeway for I-40 in the heart of the region. These median improvements could include on-ramp signals, dynamic median shoulders, and other rapid operational enhancements.
RTA organizational priorities
RTA will need to remain strong, growing, and innovative for us to effectively serve our growing region. Our organizational priorities include increasing the size of the RTA Regional Leadership Team, expanding our overall membership base, and creating a member recognition initiative to promote electrification in transportation.
2025 Business plan — page two
The bottom of page one provides an overview of the RTA organization and our advocacy approach. The reverse side of the 2025 plan includes a few additional key priorities that remain on our overall agenda, including improvements to US 70 in Durham County, developing the Triangle Bikeway, and advancing southeast high speed rail.
The regional business community has an obligation to lead on key issues and to work in concert with our elected and transportation partners to move this region forward. The RTA 2025 Business Plan will allow us to do just that.
Let’s get moving,
Joe Milazzo II, PE
RTA executive director
