RALEIGH - The N.C. Department of Transportation
wants to hear from North Carolinians regarding their transportation priorities
as part of its efforts to implement the state's new Strategic Transportation
Investments law.
Signed into law by Gov. McCrory last summer, House
Bill 817 "Strategic Transportation Investments," overhauls the way North
Carolina funds transportation improvements, allowing NCDOT to make more
efficient use of its existing revenues to fund more investments that improve
the state's transportation infrastructure, create jobs and help boost the
economy.
The law establishes the Strategic
Mobility Formula, which uses a data-driven approach to provide more
flexibility in funding transportation improvements on the statewide, regional
and division level with the goal of meeting the state's top priorities while
still addressing individualized local needs.
In the coming weeks, each of the 14
NCDOT Transportation Divisions across the state will submit its top
transportation priorities to compete with other transportation improvements across
the state for funding under the new formula. To help determine these priorities,
each division is asking local residents to provide their thoughts on which transportation
improvements are most important. Projects can be as large-scale as an
interstate improvement or as small as a new turn lane or traffic signal, and
can be for any mode of transportation, including public transit,
bicycle/pedestrian, ferry, aviation and rail.
Residents can take part in the process by making
their suggestions during a 30-day public comment period from Tuesday, Jan. 14
through Wednesday, Feb. 12. Each Transportation Division will host a public
open house to meet with local residents and obtain feedback regarding
transportation priorities. In addition, written comments can be submitted via email
or regular. All comments must be received by 5 p.m. on Feb. 12.
More information about the meeting times and
locations, as well as the contact information for each division can be found on
the NCDOT
website.