RALEIGH – People in several North Carolina communities will soon have safer transportation options, thanks to over $64 million in new federal spending from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
This week, six North Carolina projects were awarded Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity, or RAISE, program funds by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The N.C. Department of Transportation received two awards totaling $17.6 million for projects in historically disadvantaged communities. NCDOT will also administer a $24.5 million RAISE grant Brevard will use to build a multi-use path.
“We’re grateful to our federal partners for helping bring these transportation improvements to our state,” said state Transportation Secretary Eric Boyette. “These funds take us closer to meeting our agency’s vision for creating a transportation system that meets the needs of all users. These projects will improve safety, access and mobility for the elderly, people with disabilities, those without a vehicle and other transportation-disadvantaged people living in North Carolina.”
NCDOT will administer the following RAISE grants:
- $9 million to the Walk NC: Creating Safer Crossings project in a large swath of rural North Carolina. This project will add pedestrian countdown signals, crosswalks and accessible routes at signalized intersections in 15 communities. The project also will add signal timing improvements and address some sidewalk gaps. The project will put in place pedestrian safety improvements in towns identified by their poor pedestrian safety records. It will also increase transportation accessibility for many people without vehicles and prioritizes disadvantaged businesses by creating better connections in rural downtowns. The project will be completed in historically disadvantaged communities in Davidson, Granville, Rowan, Vance, Halifax, Wilson, Robeson, Chatham, Beaufort, Johnston, Lenoir and Richmond counties.
- $8.6 million for Lumberton to fund the construction of 2 miles of improvements to 2nd Street between N.C. 41 and N.C. 211. The project will add two roundabouts, new crossings at pedestrian refuge islands and other safety and mobility improvements in an area of persistent poverty.
- $24.5 million to construct the 18-mile shared use Ecusta Trail along an unused rail corridor and repair or replace railroad trestles for bicycle and pedestrian use. This will enable the community to repurpose an unused railroad bed into a path for cyclists, hikers and others. When it’s complete, the path will be a safe alternative to many cyclists and pedestrians who would otherwise have to share winding mountain roads with vehicles. NCDOT partnered with Brevard on the application development and will administer the project.
Charlotte, Raleigh and Chapel Hill also were awarded RAISE grants for transportation projects to improve safety and mobility. NCDOT may be asked to assist administering these grants.