News

An increasing focus on North Capital Boulevard

The conversation to accelerate the US 1 freeway has gained increasing interest, which is helpful. Here is a recent article from WRAL on the topic — and another one on the overall context of transportation costs and impacts from Hurricane Helene.  And, here is the text of a new resolution, unanimously passed earlier this week by the Town of Wake Forest Board of Commissioners.

We have posted our newly revised FAQs on the corridor here: letsgetmoving.org/AccelerateUS1FAQs  and we will continue to update those over time.

Here are a few key points culled from the FAQs and similar RTA outreach communications:

• RTA has endorsed the accelerated transformation of north US 1 / Capital Blvd. to a multimodal freeway and complementary parallel access road system from I-540 to the Wake/Franklin Co. line via dedicated toll revenue.
• We support a zero overnight/discounted off-peak framework to minimize toll rates for freeway travelers – and the NC Turnpike Authority has noted that the financial model would allow for zero/discount tolls during certain times of day.
• Our preference would be to accelerate construction without requiring any toll revenue. However, given a litany of past delays and cost increases, there is skepticism by many elected officials, RTA, and other partners that the project will not again be delayed, given inflation, impacts from Hurricane Helene, other competing priorities, etc.
• Our region has a history of success with tolls to ensure accelerated delivery (e.g., 540). We are pursuing a toll option to accelerate US 1, while simultaneously supporting other revenue solutions that may eliminate the need for tolls.
• Tolls would not be activated on the new Capital Freeway until the entire freeway and parallel access road network were complete. The access roads would never be tolled. The existing Capital Boulevard, with a plethora of traffic signals, will never be a toll road.
• It will certainly take longer to travel along the parallel access roads than via the new freeway. However, future travel along the access road routing during peak periods would still be as fast or faster than travel along an unimproved Capital Boulevard.

For more information about this vital priority, you can view our Accelerate US 1 page, and a recent, detailed overview blog post.

Thank you for your dedication on this issue. Please thank your elected officials at all levels of government — whether or not they support a toll option — for focusing on accelerating the Capital Freeway project.

Making transit go faster

As we noted last month, RTA and NCDOT will hold our next regional BRT/FAST/SMART meeting later this summer, on Wednesday, July 30 from 9 am – 12 noon. The gathering will be hosted by SAS Institute in Cary. (An optional self-pay lunch will be available.)

This meeting will continue our shared focus on ways to accelerate regional transit projects, which will save time and money for current and potential transit travelers, and for our region as a whole. Attendees will hear from several RTA member firms on innovative funding and accelerated project delivery options for freeway/street BRT and SMART freeways, as well as an interactive preview of the FAST study findings prior to the RTA brunch event.

If you are interested in attending, please register by COB Thursday, July 24th.

Please contact RTA membership operations coordinator Jacob Rigg with questions about this meeting.

Let’s get moving,

Joe Milazzo II, PE
RTA executive director