New Bern BRT groundbreaking — a new day in Raleigh
- November 9, 2023
- Posted by: Joe Milazzo II
- Category: Blog
RTA members and partners,
November 7th, 2023 saw the groundbreaking for the New Bern Avenue BRT corridor, the first of several BRT corridors to be built in Raleigh, and first BRT in the Carolinas.
BRT formally stands for “bus rapid transit”, however RTA often refers to it informally as “buses resembling trains”. As the name suggests it will provide a fast, reliable, mobility solution with designated bus lanes and service every 15 minutes throughout the day, with even more frequent service during peak times.
At the groundbreaking, some of the prominent speakers included NCDOT Secretary Joey Hopkins, City of Raleigh Director of Transportation Paul Kallam, City of Raleigh mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin, Wake County chair Shinica Thomas, and FTA regional administrator Dr. Yvette Taylor.
Mayor Baldwin also mentioned the FAST 2.0 study which is an $800k+ study spearheaded by RTA and managed by NCDOT that will be looking at ways to link BRT to RDU airport. The FAST 2.0 study will also help make existing freeways more “transit ready”.
Kudos to all the elected and transportation leaders at the municipal, regional, state, and federal level who have worked tirelessly to make this historical next step toward enhanced regional transit in the Triangle.
While we celebrate the beginning, there is still much work to be done.
Let’s get moving on BRT — faster.
Joe
Joe Milazzo II, PE
RTA Executive Director
