Tag Archive for: #ncdeptoftransportation

NCDOT

Students: Submit Entries To N.C. Aviation Art Contest By Jan. 17

/by
Break out your art supplies and let your creativity take flight! The N.C. Department of Transportation is now accepting entries for its 2023 North Carolina Aviation Art Contest from students across the state.

This year’s theme is “Air Sports for a Peaceful World.” All North Carolina students born between Jan. 1, 2006, and Dec. 31, 2017, are eligible to submit entries in one of three age groups: junior (ages 6-9), intermediate (ages 10-13) and senior (ages 14-17).

Entries in each age group will have a chance to compete for one of three prizes to be awarded to the student who won and their school. Entries will be accepted through Jan. 17, 2024.

The three North Carolina winners in each group will advance to the national competition, hosted by the National Association of State Aviation Officials in Washington D.C. National winners are submitted to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale’s headquarters in Switzerland for the international contest.

The contest is funded in part by the North Carolina Airports Association and its member donors. Since the contest began in 2015, 12,437 students from 759 schools and 93 North Carolina counties have submitted entries.

Visit the NCDOT website for eligibility and submission details. Questions? Contact North Carolina’s contest coordinator, Corbi Bulluck, at cbulluck@ncdot.gov or 919.814.0550.
NC DOT

Thanksgiving Statewide ‘Click It or Ticket’ Campaign Underway

/by

100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

-Press Release, NC Department of Transportation 

The N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program is reminding drivers this Thanksgiving week about their responsibility to buckle up when behind the wheel.

Law enforcement will be out patrolling North Carolina roads as part of the Thanksgiving ‘Click It or Ticket’ campaign, running through Sunday, November 29.

“Our goal is to save lives by increasing public awareness about the importance of seat belt use,” said Mark Ezzell, Director of the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program.

Despite reduced traffic volumes during the COVID-19 pandemic, roadway deaths and serious accidents have increased in North Carolina in 2020. Last year there were 434 total unbelted deaths across the state. Already in 2020, 440 people have lost their lives while not wearing a seatbelt.

“This year, we’re facing two public health crises at the same time,” Ezzell said. “One, the pandemic, is getting a lot of attention. But the other, an increase in unbelted traffic deaths, can’t be ignored. We need to stay vigilant and stay careful this holiday season to save people from losing their life to either.”

During Thanksgiving Week 2019, eight people lost their lives on North Carolina roadways while not wearing a seatbelt, and another 22 were seriously injured.

North Carolina law requires all passengers in a vehicle to be properly restrained. Violations are punishable by fines up to $179.

To help you and your loved ones stay safe this Thanksgiving holiday, GHSP recommends the following safety tips to drivers and passengers as they travel:

  • Buckle Up. Every Seat. Every Time. It’s the law.
  • Don’t drink and drive. Make sure you have a sober designated driver.
  • Obey the posted speed limit.
  • Keep a safe following distance.
  • Turn on your headlights in the rain or snow.
  • Put away all distractions including cell phones.

Social media users can show NCGHSP how they are practicing good driving behavior by buckling up. Mention @NCGHSP on Facebook or tag @NC_GHSP on Twitter and Instagram with #NCGHSP to show how you are celebrating this Thanksgiving, Click It or Ticket It.

NC Dept of Transportation

Sober Driving ‘Essential’ for Safe Roadways During Labor Day

/by

100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

-Press Release, North Carolina Department of Transportation 

This Labor Day, the Governor’s Highway Safety Program is joining forces with the North Carolina Trucking Association, the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety also known as (NETS), the North Carolina Highway Patrol and members of more than 500 law enforcement agencies around the state to help curb impaired driving.

Over the 2019 holiday week, 10 people died and almost 600 were injured as a direct result of impaired driving across our roadways. In addition, 66 lives were claimed due to speeding, and distracted and sleepy driving.

“This Labor Day as we continue to monitor drunk-driving trends, we are calling on our partners in law enforcement to not only help remove drunk drivers from the roadways but to also encourage hard-working North Carolinians to find ways to safely unwind,” said Mark Ezzell, Director of the Governor’s Highway Safety Program (NCGHSP).

Tiffany Wright with AAA Carolinas projects that amidst Covid-19, many will be traveling, but closer to home, visiting North Carolina beaches, mountains, as well as family members and friends. Unfortunately, she says, some will be impaired behind the wheel.

“In response to the troubling number of deaths on the road as a result of impaired driving, we’re united in the plea encouraging North Carolina drivers to travel sober, obey traffic safety laws and drive vigilantly,” said Wright.

In addition to high-visibility saturation patrols across all 100 counties, the NCGHSP is utilizing the voices (download video here) of those who travel the most roadway miles across our state…truckers.

“I’ve seen a lot of bad decisions made behind the wheel; people getting dressed, texting, reading the newspaper, and putting on makeup,” said D. Luke Mallory, Road Team Captain with the North Carolina Trucking Association. “Some are even using prescription drugs, illegal substances and drinking while driving.”

North Carolina truckers travel about 7.7 billion roadway miles of the 111.9 billion driven annually by all motorists. That puts them and other essential workers from the fields of medicine, utilities, food, emergency, industrial and commercial industries at increased risk on our highways.

“Impaired and dangerous driving affects me and the other hard-working men and women who have been stretched thin working hard to replenish our supply chains,” Mallory said. “I’m personally asking people this Labor Day to make better decisions behind the wheel.”

Trucking industry positions account for about 1 in 16 jobs in the state. And while the North Carolina Trucking Association puts safety first through improved driver training, Tara Casanova Powell of the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, a national industry group, urges all employers to consider traffic safety as an important part of employee wellness.

“We’re asking each employer, what happens when that worker who manages your payroll, or your website, or other employees, gets arrested for DWI,” Powell asks. “What happens if they hit and kill someone while under the influence? It doesn’t matter if this happens on- or off-the-job. The cost of impaired driving is not one that is exclusively paid by the perpetrator, as you as an employer also become a victim. Impaired driving costs lives, reputations, money and relationships, and it’s all preventable. Impaired driving costs incurred by employers include lost time, sick leave, and health insurance costs to name a few.”

Powell says while many companies are focused on shifting their office cultures, they should consider making pre-planning part of their business models as well.

“Encourage your workers to plan ahead, call a ride-share, take public transportation or phone a friend, maybe even you, before they get behind the wheel impaired,” she added.” Their lives and your bottom line are counting on it.”

But of course, if drivers don’t adhere to the harkening of these voices, they’ll be met by the keepers of the peace.

“Our roadways will not go unchecked by the Highway Patrol or any of the 500 law enforcement agencies across our state,” said Colonel Glenn McNeill of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. “If you are impaired behind the wheel, we will be there. If you are speeding, we will be there. If you are distracted, we will be there. If you are putting others at risk, we will be there.”

Deal Advances on Southeast Rail Corridor

/by

THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

-Press Release, N.C. Department of Transportation

North Carolina has received good transportation news as an important agreement reached this week will advance plans to improve the Southeast’s freight and passenger rail network.

The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation announced a major deal with CSX Thursday. Part of the deal will enable the N.C. Department of Transportation to acquire a 10-mile portion of an inactive freight line in North Carolina so the line can be converted for use on the Southeast Rail Corridor.

The Southeast Rail Corridor is a network of passenger and freight rail from Washington D.C. to Jacksonville, Fla. The rail runs through North Carolina roughly parallel to Interstate 85 and U.S. 1. The 10-mile section to be acquired runs from Ridgeway in Warren County to the North Carolina-Virginia border.

“This is a key step as we work to improve our rail system so we can move people and goods more efficiently between North Carolina and communities along the East Coast,” said Jason Orthner, director of the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Rail Division.

This week’s deal will also enable the construction of a new Virginia-owned Long Bridge across the Potomac River, and acquisition of more than 350 miles of railroad right-of-way.

The deal comes as officials with North Carolina and Virginia work together on a strategy to acquire both in-service and out-of-service rail lines for enhanced freight and passenger services. North Carolina Sen. Tom McInnis is chairman of the North Carolina delegation of the VA-NC Interstate High Speed Rail Compact and a chairman of state legislative transportation committees.

“This agreement takes us a big step forward in our efforts to better connect North Carolina communities,” McInnis said. “And it will offer new connections between our state and our neighbors, providing lasting economic development opportunities for our state.”

State Highway Patrol

State Highway Patrol Focused On Collision Reduction This Christmas

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Press Release, NC Department of Public Safety

In anticipation of the upcoming Christmas and New Year’s holidays, the State Highway Patrol is putting safe driving at the top of its Christmas wish list.

According to AAA, more than 112 million travelers are expected to leave home throughout the holiday period to spend time with family and friends. With this in mind, troopers across the state are focusing on driver behavior in an attempt to ensure everyone arrives safely to their intended destination.

Last year, troopers responded to 3,102 collisions between the dates of Dec. 24 through Jan. 2. Among those collisions, 716 were injury-related and 19 resulted in a fatality. This year, SHP hopes to decrease the number of collisions during the same time frame by focusing on violations such as excessive speeding, reckless driving, following too close and impaired driving.

“The Christmas season is a time to be shared with family and friends,” said Colonel Glenn McNeill Jr., commander of the State Highway Patrol. “Our priority is to reduce needless collisions before they occur in hopes of reporting zero lives lost throughout this holiday season.”

With the increase of distracted driving on the rise across the nation, the Patrol is also taking a proactive approach in reducing distracted driving collisions with the release of a Christmas PSA entitled Two Choices, Your Decision.

While there are several different types of distractions that affect safe driving, the PSA focuses on the dangers associated with texting while driving. The PSA can be obtained by visiting the SHP Facebook page or viewing this YouTube link https://youtu.be/-0S1yDxIOgA.

State Highway Patrol

 State Highway Patrol Promotes Thanksgiving Holiday Traffic Safety

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Press Release, NC Department of Public Safety

The State Highway Patrol will be on the roadways this holiday season looking to stop dangerous driving before potentially life-changing collisions take place. The SHP joins roadway users across North Carolina in hopes of a safe and happy time for giving thanks with family and friends.

According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), over 49 million people will travel by automobile across our nation. In anticipation of the increased number of vehicles that will travel here in North Carolina, troopers will be out in full force with the goal of reporting zero fatalities.

“This holiday season is a special time for many across our state,” said Col. Glenn McNeill Jr., commander of the State Highway Patrol.  “We as an agency will work tirelessly to keep this a joyous time for families and not one marred by the loss of a loved one from a traffic collision.”

The NCSHP will once again participate in the Care Across America I-40 Challenge, a joint campaign among eight states along the I-40 corridor. The campaign will take place on the busiest travel days of the holiday, kicking off on Wednesday, November 27 and concluding Sunday, December 1. During the event, troopers will patrol I-40 with the ultimate goal of ensuring safe travel.

Motorists can assist with safe travel by following a few simple tips:

  • Don’t Drive Distracted: Place cell phones on Do Not Disturb Mode and keep both hands on the wheel at all times.
  • Always wear a seat belt: No matter the time of day or your seating position, a seat belt should be put on before starting your travel. 
  • Never drive while impaired: Use one of the many safe alternatives to driving after consuming, plan ahead to ensure a safe end to the evening.
  • Maintain a safe speed and reduce speeds during inclement weather. Remember the speed limit is set for ideal driving conditions.
  • Check traffic conditions throughout North Carolina before starting your travel at DriveNC.Gov

Motorists can assist the SHP by contacting *HP (47) if they observe dangerous driving.

NCDOT

Rehab Work Coming for Bridge and Roadway in Granville County

/by

-Press Release, N.C. Department of Transportation

Thanks to two N.C. Department of Transportation contracts, a short bridge located just south of Creedmoor will be getting some much-needed repairs and nearly 36 miles of Granville County roads will be resurfaced.

As early as February 25, contractors from National Bridge Builders will be able to start repairing the Northside Road bridge extending over Ledge Creek. Built in 1956, the bridge is due for upgrades, as its average daily use is expected to increase by nearly 100 percent by 2039.

The contract was awarded for just over $1 million and crews will have until September 15 to complete work and reopen the bridge for traffic.

The posted off-site detour will utilize Cash Road, South Durham Avenue, West Hillsboro Street and South Elm Street.

In a separate project, several roads in the county will see surface improvements. They include portions of N.C. 50 and N.C. 56, as well as Rock Springs Church Road between Bruce Garner Road and the Wake County line.

This $4.4 million contract was awarded to Carolina Sunrock of Raleigh. The contractor can begin the roadway resurfacing as early as June 1 and must be finished by June 30, 2020.

These projects are two of 14 highway and bridge projects recently awarded by the Department. As required by state law, the contracts went to the lowest qualified bidder. They are worth $144.4 million.