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Governor McCrory's Transportation Reform Passes General Assembly

Posted 6/19/2013 4:01:40 PM

RALEIGH – Governor McCrory congratulated North Carolina lawmakers today for passing the first of several major reforms aimed at the economy, education and government efficiency.   "After months of hard work with Transportation Secretary Tony Tata, we developed the Strategic Mobility Formula, which would mean more projects and more jobs," said Governor McCrory. "Adopting this major reform makes sense. More jobs make sense. More transportation projects make sense. Thank you to everyone involved with the whole process." Video:

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Public Transportation Helps Feed Residents of Rutherford County

Posted 6/18/2013 9:26:31 AM

RALEIGH — With the assistance of funds through the N.C. Department of Transportation, Rutherford County Transit is helping connect those in need with a local food bank through a unique partnership. In January, after seeing signs along the side of the road numerous times advertising free food at Storehouse Pantry, a local food pantry, Rutherford County Transportation Services Director Kerry Giles decided to learn more about the service and investigate ways that the transit system could help get the food to those who need it the most. Within a week, Rutherford County Transit began offering free transportation to Storehouse Pantry on Thursdays to residents who don’t have access to transportation. “This partnership is a perfect marriage of services,” said Giles. “The pantry provides the food and we eliminate the transportation barrier, ensuring that people are able to get to the food that they need – it just made sense.” Approximately 100 residents use the service a month, and Giles is looking at ways to increase those numbers. “We use five vans that seat eight people. With food onboard, we can only fit four people on each vehicle,” said Giles. “We’re working with local churches to set up a schedule where they use their vehicles to transport the food so we can fill our vans with more people.” In addition to transporting more people per vehicle, Rutherford County Transit is also looking at expanding hours of the service, which would enable the system to possibly schedule two runs per vehicle. They’re also running some routes on Tuesdays to accommodate residents from areas with a higher need. Giles is also looking to partner with other free food distribution sites in the area to increase the amount of food making its way to those who need it in Rutherford County. How it Works: Every Thursday from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., Rutherford County Transit vans pick up residents of various communities. The current schedule is as follows: •    1st Thursday – Forest City, Cliffside and Henrietta; •    2nd Thursday – Rutherfordton, Spindale, Ruth and Green Hill; •    3rd Thursday – Sunshine, Bostic and Golden Valley; and •    4th Thursday – Ellenboro, Mooresboro and Harris. The service is offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to limited seating, interested riders must call in advance to reserve a seat. Upon arrival, riders must bring a form of identification, as well as proof of residency, such as a utility bill. Storehouse Pantry requires anyone interested in receiving free food to fill out an eligibility form. Residents can only ride once a month. One person per household, 18-years-old or older, can ride. No coolers can be brought on board and cancellations must be made at least 24 hours in advance. NCDOT’s Public Transportation Division (PTD) supports Rutherford County Transit through the Rural Operating Assistance Program. NCDOT-PTD awards grant funds to local public transportation systems. These grants enable systems to provide people in all 100 counties access to education, job opportunities and health care. For more information on grant programs through the Public Transportation Division of NCDOT, as well as transit systems that serve the public throughout the state, visit www.ncdot.gov/nctransit. ***NCDOT*** PTD

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Rutherford County Transit Driver Earl Crowder, right; and a passenger loading food into a transit vehicle.
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Hatteras-Ocracoke Ferry Returned to Original Route on Sunday

Posted 6/15/2013 9:47:09 AM

MANNS HARBOR – The NCDOT Ferry Division’s Hatteras-Ocracoke route returned to its original route with the start of service on Sunday morning, June 16. The move was the result of collaboration between the Ferry Division, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard.   The Corps of Engineers, which is responsible for keeping the Hatteras Inlet clear, had been dredging out a 10 to 12-foot deep path for ferry travel since May 31. That work wrapped up earlier on Saturday. The Coast Guard then marked the navigational aids for the route. The final step in the process saw the Ferry Division make test runs along the 40-minute path between the Hatteras and Ocracoke ferry stations to ensure it would be a safe trip for passengers, the crew and the ferry vessels.   There had not been ferry service on the original route since Jan. 18, when an overnight storm made it too shallow for ferries to travel safely. The alternate route between Hatteras and Ocracoke had been in use since Jan. 22.   With the return of the original route, there are 32 daily trips in each direction, starting at 5 a.m. from both Hatteras and Ocracoke.   Going out of Hatteras, there is a departure at 6 a.m., and then every half hour at the top and bottom of the hour from 7 a.m. through 7 p.m. The evening schedule has trips at 8, 9, 10 and 11 p.m. and midnight.   The Ocracoke schedule also has departures at 6 and 7 a.m., then starting at 8 a.m. goes to every half hour at the top and bottom of the hour until 8 p.m. The schedule wraps up with departures at 9, 10 and 11 p.m. and midnight.      BACKGROUND Shifting sand in the Hatteras Inlet has been an increasing problem for ferry travel in recent years, creating issues where they did not previously exist. This is partly due to the number of hurricanes and nor’easters that have hit the area. Once the latest problem developed in January,  the Corps of Engineers conducted considerable dredging through the spring, but tests in late April showed that in three areas of the inlet, sand had already started to shift back to the areas dredged several weeks earlier. That led to the second round of dredging that wrapped up Saturday.    For more information about the Hatteras ferry route, travelers can sign-up to receive messages on Twitter by going to www.twitter.com/ncdot_ferry or visit the N.C. 12 Facebook page. ***NCDOT***    

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NCDOT Announces Memorial Day “Click It or Ticket” Campaign Yields 10,938 Violations

Posted 6/11/2013 4:57:51 PM

RALEIGH –  The North Carolina Department of Transportation and the Governor’s Highway Safety Program announced today that nearly 11,000 drivers and passengers were cited for seat belt and child passenger safety violations during the 20th Anniversary campaign of “Click It or Ticket” over the Memorial Day holiday, which was held May 20-June 2.  “The safety of everyone who travels our roadways is always a top priority,” said NCDOT Secretary Tony Tata. “Our first-in-the-nation ‘Click It or Ticket’ campaign reminds us that while we’ve made significant progress we still have work to do to encourage every driver and passenger to buckle up.” Participating state and local law enforcement officers issued the citations during 8,482 checkpoints and stepped-up patrols. Nighttime enforcement was stepped up across the state and in Guilford County during one nighttime operation, they issued 109 occupant restraint violations over a four-hour period. In addition to law enforcement efforts, GHSP and the N.C. Department of Transportation launched a social media campaign to increase awareness and remind passengers to buckle up. “#SafetySelfie” pictures were posted on social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram, including one posted by Gov. Pat McCrory. “Click It or Ticket” is administered by the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program. For more information regarding “Click It or Ticket” activities, contact Heather Jeffreys at (919) 707-2665, or visit the GHSP website.  ***NCDOT*** 

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Tax Estimator Brings Help to Vehicle Owners

Posted 6/10/2013 10:19:55 AM

New tool is available on official NCDMV website   RALEIGH – Just in time for the mailing of the first combined “Tag & Tax Together” bills on July 1, North Carolina vehicle owners are getting a new tool to help them understand how the new program works.      The “Vehicle Property Tax Estimator” calculates the property tax for individual vehicles based on their identification, age and address. The estimator is located on the official DMV website and can be easily accessed for use by vehicle owners, car dealers and those registering their vehicles online.   “This new estimator will help owners compute their vehicle property tax prior to the new combined bill arriving,” said DMV Commissioner James L. Forte. “We are excited to have another way to show drivers how the program works.”   The DMV website offers many other informative guides to the “Tag & Tax Together” program. An easy-to-read map of the combined notice is posted on the website, showing where property tax information is listed on the bill and how to find vehicle registration facts. Additionally, frequently-asked questions about the new billing program are posted in English and Spanish.   Vehicle owners can tell if they will be receiving one of the first new bills by checking to see if they have a “9” (for the month of September) sticker on their license tag. With each passing month, additional vehicle owners will receive the new notice when their renewal is due. By mid-2014, the program should include all North Carolina vehicles.   The new “Tag & Tax Together” program was created by a law passed by the General Assembly in 2005 that makes vehicle property taxes due in full before a vehicle’s registration can be renewed. The new combined payment program has required the coordinated effort of all 100 county revenue offices, the state Department of Revenue and NCDMV.   ***NCDOT***

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