The first step of the NC Moves 2050 Plan was to assess the current modes of North Carolina’s transportation system.
This evaluation, referred to as the State of the System, involved reviewing the transportation system’s role in the local, regional, state and national economies and its contribution to quality of life.
The State of the System reviewed each of NCDOT’s transportation modes, including the service each provides, its funding sources, its economic contributions to the state, and its challenges and trends. The State of the System also recognizes the goals and objectives, existing assets and operations, improvement strategies, and plans for continued operations for each mode.
NC Moves 2050 will develop common objectives and goals among the transportation modes and shape policies of the plans developed.
The findings of the State of the System show North Carolina has a comprehensive and interconnected transportation system. Like many other transportation departments, however, the N.C. Department of Transportation struggles with limited funding, competing resources, and heavy congestion.
While each NCDOT division is responsible for operating and maintaining unique services, they experience many of the same challenges. These include rapidly developing technologies, extreme weather events, and a growing and diverse population. Each division also faces internal challenges such as funding and serving growing urban areas and populations while still providing service to rural communities.
Additionally, coordination between NCDOT divisions and their planning processes can be a challenge that the NC Moves 2050 Plan is working to address.