RALEIGH – The North Carolina Board of Transportation today voted in support of the NCDOT’s application for $290 million of a portion of $2.1 billion in available federal funding by agreeing to provide up to $55 million in state matching funds should North Carolina be awarded the federal funds. The move is a key element in helping to develop high-speed passenger rail service and enhance the state’s intercity passenger rail service. 

“This puts North Carolina in a strong position to compete for the precious federal dollars being allocated that could help build the high-speed rail corridor,” said North Carolina Secretary of Transportation Eugene A. Conti, Jr. “This has the potential to put people to work on infrastructure projects in our state, and I applaud the Board for its foresight and vision that will help revolutionize the way North Carolinians travel.”

Some of the projects include new bridges at Sugar Creek Road and 36^th Street in Charlotte and Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh, as well as track improvements to support new multi-modal stations in Charlotte, Lexington and Hillsborough.  

“Ultimately, this action by our Board of Transportation puts North Carolina in a great position,” said board chairman retired judge Robert Collier. “It’s a step in the right direction for the citizens of our state by helping our communities become more multimodal.  That also means greater economic development, a reduction in congestion on our highways and contributing to a greener environment.”

The federal funds will be awarded later this year on a competitive, discretionary basis, and winning applicants must provide a minimum 20 percent in matching funds.

In January, NCDOT was awarded $545 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment

Act (ARRA) funding to support the development of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor and the state’s intercity passenger rail program.  It is estimated to create or maintain 4,800 private-sector jobs.  When completed, the corridor will run from Washington, D.C. to Charlotte.   

Last month, the state received the first of the ARRA funding, $20.3 million, from the Federal Railroad Administration.  Those dollars are being used to refurbish passenger coaches and locomotives on North Carolina’s Amtrak, so that it can expand service across the state. 

***NCDOT***