WIZS Note: The Division 5 meeting, including Durham, Franklin, Granville, Person, Vance, Wake and Warren counties will be held Tuesday, June 19, 2018, from 4 – 6 p.m. at the NCDOT Division 5 Office, 2612 N. Duke St., Durham.

-Press Release, NCDOT

RALEIGH – Starting June 4, North Carolinians are invited to express their opinions about which regional and local transportation projects should be top priorities in the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) – a 10-year plan that identifies funding for projects and schedules them for construction.

The N.C. Department of Transportation combines data and local input to determine which projects will get built, using a formula established in the Strategic Transportation Investments (STI) law to focus funding on projects that will reduce congestion, improve safety and promote economic growth.

During a public comment period that runs from June 4 through July 9, NCDOT will collect feedback from citizens who express their views at public meetings, online, by phone or in writing.

Public Meetings

NCDOT’s 14 local transportation divisions will host informal meetings to present proposed projects and to receive public comment. The first meetings are Monday, June 4, in Winston-Salem (Division 9) and Thursday, June 7, in Aberdeen (Division 8).  See below for the schedules and locations of all the public meetings.

At each meeting, citizens are invited to stop in and provide input on how the division plans to rank its project priorities. Please note that these meetings are not for maintenance projects, such as patching potholes, resurfacing roads or improving ditches.

NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for anyone with disabilities who wants to participate in the public meeting. Anyone requiring special services should contact Lauren Putnam, Public Involvement Officer, at 919-707-6072 or by email at lnputnam1@ncdot.gov as early as possible so that these arrangements can be made.

Other Ways to Participate

In addition to the public meetings, NCDOT is offering other options for citizens to provide input starting Monday, June 4, through the STI website (ncdot.gov/sti).  Citizens can complete a short, interactive survey to identify priority projects, or send a message to their local division planning engineer.

The online survey features an interactive state map with the proposed projects up for funding.  Citizens can review project information and provide feedback on which projects they think are important.

The STI website provides the phone numbers and postal addresses of local division planning engineers, for citizens who want to comment on transportation projects by telephone or mail.

In April, NCDOT released data scores for more than 2,100 transportation improvement projects across the state, in the first round of an evaluation process to determine which projects will be scheduled for construction.  Also in April, NCDOT identified 77 high-scoring Statewide Mobility projects that will be programmed for funding over the next decade.

Next Steps

After the comment period ends on July 9, NCDOT will combine the data scores and local input to produce the total project scores. A draft list of the top-scoring Regional Impact projects is scheduled for release in August. A similar process for local input will take place in the fall for local Division Needs projects.

Once all project scores are finalized, the top-scoring projects will be programmed for construction based on available funding. Other factors may determine whether a project ultimately moves to construction, including the completion of environmental and engineering plans, corridor spending limits prescribed by law, and other federal and state funding restrictions.

This information will be used to create the next STIP for the years 2020-2029. NCDOT will release a draft STIP for public comment in January 2019. The final 2020-2029 STIP is expected to be adopted by the N.C. Board of Transportation in June 2019.

The STI law, enacted in 2013, established a data-driven process that allows NCDOT to invest transportation dollars more efficiently and effectively.  NCDOT updates the STIP approximately every two years to ensure that it accurately reflects the state’s current financial situation.

Meeting Dates and Locations

• JUNE 14, 5-7 P.M. – EDENTON
  (DIVISION 1: Camden, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Bertie, Hertford, Northampton, Chowan, Hyde, Martin, Tyrrell and Washington counties)
  NCDOT Division 1 Office
  113 Airport Drive
  Edenton, N.C.  27932
• JUNE 12, 4-6 P.M. – KINSTON
  (DIVISION 2: Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Greene, Jones, Lenoir, Pamlico and Pitt counties)
  NCDOT Division 2 Office
  2815 Rouse Road Ext.
  Kinston, N.C. 28504
• JUNE 12, 5-7 P.M. – CASTLE HAYNE
  (DIVISION 3: Brunswick, Duplin, Onslow, New Hanover, Pender and Sampson counties)
  NCDOT Division 3 Office
  5501 Barbados Blvd.
  Castle Hayne, N.C. 28429
• JUNE 12, 5-7 P.M. – WILSON
  (DIVISION 4: Edgecombe, Halifax, Johnston, Nash, Wayne and Wilson counties)
  NCDOT Division 4 Office
  509 Ward Blvd.
  Wilson, N.C.  27895
• JUNE 19, 4-6 P.M. – DURHAM
  (DIVISION 5: Durham, Franklin, Granville, Person, Vance, Wake and Warren counties)
  NCDOT Division 5 Office
  2612 N. Duke St.
  Durham, N.C. 27704
• JUNE 18, 5-7 P.M. – FAYETTEVILLE
  (DIVISION 6: Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, Harnett and Robeson counties)
  NCDOT Division 6 Office
  558 Gillespie St.
  Fayetteville, N.C. 28301
• JUNE 11, 5-7 P.M. – GREENSBORO
  (DIVISION 7: Alamance, Caswell, Guilford, Orange and Rockingham counties)
  NCDOT Division 7 Office
  1584 Yanceyville St.
  Greensboro, N.C.  27415
• JUNE 7, 5-7 P.M. – ABERDEEN
  (DIVISION 8: Chatham, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, Richmond and Scotland counties)
  NCDOT Division 8 Conference Room
  902 N. Sandhills Blvd.
  Aberdeen, N.C. 28315
• JUNE 4, 4-6 P.M. – WINSTON-SALEM
  (DIVISION 9: Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Rowan and Stokes counties)
  NCDOT Division 9
  Conference Room
  375 Silas Creek Parkway
  Winston-Salem, N.C.  27127
• JUNE 19, 5-7 P.M. – ALBEMARLE
  (DIVISION 10: Anson, Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, Stanly and Union counties)
  Stanly County Commissioners Meeting Room
  1000 N. First St.
  Albemarle, N.C. 28001
• JUNE 11, 4-6 P.M. – NORTH WILKESBORO
  (DIVISION 11: Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Caldwell, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yadkin counties)
  NCDOT Division 11 Office
  802 Statesville Road
  N. Wilkesboro, N.C.  28659
• JUNE 25, 5-7 P.M. – MAIDEN
  (DIVISION 12: Alexander, Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell and Lincoln counties)
  Maiden Town Hall
  19 N. Main Ave.
  Maiden, N.C. 28650
• JUNE 14, 5-7 P.M. – BLACK MOUNTAIN
  (DIVISION 13: Buncombe, Burke, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Rutherford and Yancey counties)
  Lake Tomahawk Park
  Lakeview Clubhouse
  401 Laurel Circle Drive
  Black Mountain, N.C.  28711
• JUNE 11, 5-7 P.M. – HAYESVILLE & JUNE 12, 5-7 P.M. – MILLS RIVER
  (DIVISION 14: Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Polk, Swain and Transylvania counties)
  June 11: Hayesville First United Methodist Church
  989 U.S. 64 Business
  Hayesville, N.C. 28904