RALEIGH — The City of Raleigh was one of two winners in the innovation category of today’s inaugural N.C. Department of Transportation Mobi (Mobility) Awards at a ceremony on N.C. State’s Centennial Campus.
The city earned the honor of its GoRaleigh Station renovations. Formerly known as Moore Square Transit Mall, the GoRaleigh Station project provided much needed updates for the 31-year-old facility.
“The renovation of this facility really was an effort of two things – to improve the customer experience but also to build upon the multimodal environment in downtown Raleigh,” said David Eatman, Raleigh’s assistant Transportation director. “Currently, and well into the future, this will be the cornerstone of all of our fixed route and regional bus services in downtown.”
The second winner in the innovation category was Currituck County for its Corolla Village Road Sidewalk Extension Project. Honorable mentions were awarded to the following:
- City of Winston-Salem (Long Branch Trail)
- Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (Howard Coble Intermodal Transportation Center)
The goal of the GoRaleigh Station project was to make it easier for passengers and buses to access the transportation system by improving amenities and traffic flow. The facility is now completely ADA accessible, and other improvements include a new ticket booth, driver lounge, renovated public courtyard, pedestrian walkway, new bus lanes with expanded bus platforms, additional seating, real time video displays, and security cameras. The renovations also provided new passenger comforts such as restrooms, shelters, lighting, and Wi-Fi.
The project, funded with local, state and federal resources, added 48 full-time positions to the already existing staff. It is viewed as a vital part of Raleigh’s downtown environment, spurring growth and community enhancement by contributing to a reduction in automobile traffic and emissions, while increasing bus and bicycle usage.
This project has increased the connectivity of the downtown area and the community with new bus routes, more frequent service, and a facility designed to accommodate new CNG, hybrid, and all electric buses. It also provides a bus service between the GoRaleigh Station and Raleigh’s new Union Station that serves the NCDOT’s Piedmont and Carolinian train service.
Mobi winners were chosen in five categories, including rural, suburban, urban, tourism, and innovation. The purpose of the awards is to honor towns, cities, and counties for multimodal projects that have had a transformational impact on and changed the landscape of communities.
The awards event was hosted by the NCDOT, Women Transportation Seminars, N.C. Go!, and N.C. State University’s Institute for Transportation Research and Education.