EDENTON – The N.C. Department of Transportation today identified 138 regional highway, aviation, ferry, rail and transit projects it anticipates funding and scheduling for construction over the next decade.
The
evaluation of 915 regional impact projects across the state identified
the top-scoring projects to be programmed for construction in
the forthcoming 2020-2029 State Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP).
They include 115 highway projects programmed for $2.4 billion in
funding, seven rail projects for $96 million, three ferry projects for
$26 million, and three transit projects for $191 million.
"The addition of these projects will continue
to improve safety and mobility on our transportation system, further
enhancing quality of life as our area continues to grow," Division 10
Engineer Scott Cole said.
Six regional projects will be programmed for construction in Division 1 (Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Hyde, Martin, Northampton, Perquimans, Tyrrell and Washington counties), including:
- U.S. 158 at N.C. 12 in Dare County: Upgrade intersection to interchange
- Second vessel for Ocracoke passenger ferry route
The
Strategic Transportation Investments (STI) law established a
data-driven process for ranking transportation projects in three
categories: Statewide Mobility, Regional Impact and Division Needs. In
April, NCDOT
identified 77 Statewide Mobility projects
that will share 40 percent of the state’s available project funds. All
projects were ranked according to data scores based on safety,
congestion reduction, cost-benefit analysis and other criteria.
The
remaining 60 percent of the funds available over the next 10 years will
be divided equally between the other two categories: Regional Impact
projects, announced today, and Division Needs (local) projects, which
will be announced in December. The regional and division project
rankings combine data scores with local input points assigned by local
planning organizations and NCDOT engineers. Regional projects that did
not score high enough can be considered for possible funding in the
Division category.
NCDOT and local planning organizations
received public comment on all projects in May and early June. In the
coming weeks, each of NCDOT's 14 divisions will receive additional
public comment on Division Needs project rankings and priorities.
More information about the STIP development process, including lists of projects ranked high enough to win funding at the
Statewide Mobility and
Regional Impact levels, is available on the
NCDOT website. To see details and data scores for all 2,100 statewide, regional and division projects evaluated in April,
download this spreadsheet.
To comment on Division Needs projects in Division 1,
send a message to Brooks Braswell, or call 252-482-1873 between Sept. 24 and Oct. 5.