News

The future of north Capital Boulevard

This past Wednesday was an inflection point in our ongoing journey to accelerate the US 1 freeway, particularly with two impactful votes on Wednesday afternoon:  One by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) executive board that authorized tolls to accelerate the freeway, and then a second vote less than an hour later by the NC House of Representatives that would preclude the study or implementation of tolls along the corridor.

My sense is that the two votes this week, while contradictory in policy approach, nonetheless indicate a broad consensus of the need to finally deliver a solution for accelerating the freeway, and to provide long-overdue relief to travelers in northern Wake County and Franklin County. In reality, no one wants tolls on Capital Boulevard — we are just trying to figure out the best way to accelerate needed improvements to reduce the daily toll that Capital Boulevard imposes on travelers.

See this week’s extended blog post for a special update on where the project stands and potential next steps. See these links for a sample of media coverage: ABC-11, N&O.  In addition, here is a list of newly updated FAQs for the project, and here is our updated accelerate the Capital Freeway webpage.

Please reach out to me any time about this important priority. In addition, thank you to the RTA members who spoke in favor of accelerating the US 1 / Capital Freeway project at the CAMPO board meeting last week, and to all of our members who attended our special RTA General Membership meeting in Cary.

RTA endorses Wake Transit plan update — we need our members to do so by this coming Friday, May 30, as well.

Earlier this month, the RTA Steering Committee voted to applaud and endorse the proposed
Wake Transit plan update, which includes an expanded BRT network (including freeway BRT along I-40) as well as a new rapid transit linkage to RDU Airport. You can view an online “story map” of the plan here.

Please take 60 seconds to endorse the plan. Click here for a short, pre-addressed template message you can use or modify. Please send your note by this week’s response deadline — this Saturday, May 31. Please contact me directly at joe@letsgetmoving.org with questions.

I hope everyone has/had a great Memorial Day weekend. Thank you as always for your membership.

Let’s get moving,

Joe Milazzo II, PE
RTA executive director