News

A cold reality: significant delays to key projects
If you were at last week’s RTA 17^th Annual Meeting, you heard about significant schedule delays to several freeway projects in our region. In this week’s Thursday Thoughts at 3, I provide five ways the regional business community, in concert with NCDOT and our regional partners, can keep moving forward. While we are not where we need to be from a funding and implementation standpoint, I am confident that with continued focus and partnership, we can get there. On a positive note, NCDOT announced another I-40 interchange improvement this week:  the off-ramps at exit 291 (NC 54, on the Cary/Raleigh border) will be widened.

RTP “express lanes” can save you minutes for pennies
Do you travel I-40 east towards Raleigh on your evening commute? You may not have realized that you can bypass the congested RTP exits during rush hours by using Toll 147 south to Toll 540 east. Taking the NC 147/540 Turnpike “bypass” will cost you less than $1 with an NC QuickPass transponder and is available today, or whenever you need it. Read more about the RTP express lane option in last week’s Thursday Thoughts at 3 blog. Thanks to the activation of the 540 expressway in 2012, we have enjoyed faster, more reliable travel in the center of our region for more than six years.

RTA intersection forum coming next month
On March 21, RTA Leadership Team investor SAS will host the second RTA-NCDOT Intersection Solutions Forum. We will cover a few follow-up items from our November forum in addition to new analyses and information from our members and partners. There is no cost to attend the event, although you do need to RSVP in advance. NCDOT and area municipalities are always on the lookout for ways to make intersections safer and more efficient, and so is RTA — we look forward to coming together at next month’s event!

Thank you for your investment in the RTA business coalition! 

Let’s get moving,

Joe

Joe Milazzo II, PE
RTA Executive Director