RALEIGH
The N.C. Department of Transportation is taking the next step to implement the Strategic Mobility
Formula,
a project prioritization process established last year by the Strategic
Transportation Investments law. NCDOT today released data for 3,100
projects, based on criteria contained in the new formula.
The
data includes the original list of highway projects released in March and adds:
500
new highway projects; and
1,300
multi-modal projects.
"The
initial data show the formula is doing exactly what it was designed to do
allowing us to build more projects across the state, which will ultimately
create more jobs in North Carolina," NCDOT Secretary Tony Tata said. "These projects will help
address critical local transportation needs while better connecting small towns
to key economic centers."
Based
on current funding levels, the data show work on at least 370 projects could be
scheduled during the next decade. That is more than double the number of
projects the department would expect to program under the old formula during
the same 10-year period.
The
majority of those projects would occur at the local level. The data show
pending local input -that NCDOT could schedule work on as many as 280 division
and regional level projects over the next 10 years to address their greatest
needs.
The
data also show 91 highway and aviation projects on the statewide level could be
scheduled over the next 10 years to address issues such as congestion. These
projects will make it easier for people to access job centers, education centers
and healthcare centers while helping businesses more efficiently transport
products through bigger cities to other parts of the state.
NCDOT
will also continue moving forward with an additional 108 major transition
projects not subject to STI, because they were scheduled for construction
before July 1, 2015.
Sixty
percent of available funding is directed to projects at the regional and
division levels. The remaining 40 percent goes to projects addressing statewide
needs. The new formula is data-driven to increase transparency and minimize
subjectivity in the project selection process.
Next Steps
June
2 begins a 90-day period during which NCDOT will receive public feedback on the
newly released project data.
During
this time, local input points will also be assigned for regional and division
projects by the following groups:
Metropolitan
Planning Organizations (MPOs);
Rural
Planning Organizations (RPOs); and
Division
engineers in each of the state's 14 transportation
divisions.
Division
engineers, MPOs and RPOs have established clear methodologies for collecting
public input and determining how they are going to assign local input points as
required by law.
NCDOT
will com