FAA approves $500M plan to replace, upgrade RDU's main runway

FAA approves $500M plan to replace, upgrade RDU's main runway
ABC-11, WTVD-TV, September 5, 2023

Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) announced a major win Monday in its efforts to expand: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the airport's plan to replace its main runway.

"The linchpin of all of it is that new runway because it's going to be new, it's going to be longer and they're going to relocate it just a little bit out of the way," explained Joe Milazzo, the executive director of the Regional Transportation Alliance.

Local leaders said the FAA's decision is a win for the entire state.

"If you're growing and if you're going to grow successfully, your infrastructure needs to grow right along with you," Milazzo said.

Milazzo said securing federal funding for this runway has been a top local priority for a while.

"The airport, of course, is very central to the success of this entire extended metropolitan region, while I-40 is the most important road in the Triangle, this is the most important two miles of pavement in the Triangle." Milazzo said. "That primary runway -- we are so excited to see that moving forward. It creates jobs not just at the airport. It allows companies to be successful. That creates opportunity, creates tax revenue and allows more folks to be able to move in here and be successful"

Milazzo said the continual expansion of the airport will bring economic opportunity to the area.

"The runway is not going to be open tomorrow, but we're on a glide path to success now," Milazzo said.

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RDU's $500M runway project just got a major boost

RDU's $500M runway project just got a major boost
Triangle Business Journal, September 5, 2023

Raleigh-Durham International Airport’s long-planned $500 million runway is one step closer to becoming a reality.

The Federal Aviation Administration, after years of assessments and analysis, issued its official authorization at the end of August. That means the airport can move forward toward building a new runway – something officials have said is critical to attract more airlines and flights in the years ahead, including international destinations.

What business leaders are saying

Joe Milazzo leads the Regional Transportation Alliance, a coalition out of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. His group, made up of area business leaders, has designated the new runway as the business community’s top transportation priority for years.

Milazzo said that in order to have a vibrant business community, “you have to have a functioning, successful primary runway.”

“This hopefully puts us on the glide path to runway success, which is ultimately regional success,” he said in an interview, noting that the new gates – and flights – that could follow will be critical to the growing region. “You’re going to be adding a million more people in the catchment area for the airport over the next decade or so.”  

Michael Haley, executive director for Wake County Economic Development, called the airport “one of the most important economic development assets in the Research Triangle.”

“The new runway will allow RDU to grow as our region grows, ensuring we have the necessary connectivity for our businesses and residents,” Haley said.

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Feds to Triangle: Don’t expect any federal money to build your commuter rail line

Feds to Triangle: Don’t expect any federal money to build your commuter rail line
News&Observer, July 25, 2023

After years of planning a commuter rail system to link the Triangle’s largest cities and Research Triangle Park, local officials learned this spring that the federal government will not help pay for it.

Representatives of the Federal Transit Administration told a group of Triangle leaders that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how people use transit and that trains that serve morning and evening commuters to central business districts have become outdated.

Instead, FTA officials said the government will provide money for cheaper and more flexible bus rapid transit systems like the ones Raleigh and Chapel Hill plan to build in the coming years, according to Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin. “

So we’re told, ‘This is what we’re going to fund, keep doing it,’” Baldwin said. “What we’re also told is, ‘We’re not funding commuter rail.’”

The meeting took place in Washington, D.C., in March. It was organized by Baldwin and Joe Milazzo, executive director of the Regional Transportation Alliance, a program of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce that calls itself the voice of the business community on transportation.

Also included were top county commissioners — Brenda Howerton in Durham and Shinica Thomas in Wake — and Sig Hutchinson, who heads the board of GoTriangle, the agency leading the commuter rail planning.

It’s not clear if any of the participants have previously spoken publicly about the meeting. But Baldwin mentioned it Friday at a gathering of hundreds of political, civic and business leaders organized by the Regional Transportation Alliance. The event’s theme: Bus rapid transit, or BRT, and how it can someday link the region.

Bus rapid transit combines the lower cost and flexibility of buses with some attributes of rail, including covered, elevated platforms, priority signals at intersections and dedicated lanes to avoid traffic. Because of those similarities, Milazzo says BRT should stand for “Buses Resembling Trains.”

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Long-waited Capital Boulevard freeway delayed again, but NCDOT plans to start one leg

Long-waited Capital Boulevard freeway delayed again, but NCDOT plans to start one leg
News&Observer, June 14, 2023

Nearly five years ago, the N.C. Department of Transportation unveiled plans to turn Capital Boulevard into a six-lane freeway from Interstate 540 north through Wake Forest. Construction was expected to begin in 2021.

Since then, land and construction costs have soared, forcing NCDOT to delay the freeway and numerous other projects across the state. Under the department’s latest 10-year plan, approved last week, construction on one leg of the U.S. 1 freeway is now scheduled to begin in 2025, with the rest starting in 2029 or later.

Completing the planned freeway is important to the Triangle’s business community, says Joe Milazzo, executive director of the Regional Transportation Alliance, a program of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. The RTA’s steering committee decided last month that its top highway priority is helping NCDOT find money to upgrade Capital Boulevard, the primary way in and out of Wake County from the north.

“We’ve got to have that freeway,” Milazzo said in an interview. “And it needs to be as soon as possible for the people who are living here and the people who are coming.’

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Here's how NC will spend $35 billion for transportation projects

Here's how NC will spend $35 billion for transportation projects
WRAL-TV, June 9, 2023

There are $35 billion worth of projects planned along North Carolina's roadways, some of which are funded and others which aren't.

Regional Transportation Alliance (RTA) executive director Joe Milazzo explained the reasons for the new road projects.

“It’s a great place to live,” Milazzo said of the Triangle. “It’s a great place to do business. We want to keep it that way.”

Milazzo and the RTA advocate for the needs of businesses in the area. Many projects RTA identified are outlined in the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s 10-year masterplan.

“[There are] some good things about it, a lot of good things,” Milazzo said. ”It’s also, perhaps, a motivational document because there’s some challenges with it as well.”

Challenges include funding for major projects like the one that would turn Capital Boulevard into a freeway system from Interstate 540 to Wake Forest.

Other projects are already underway, like completing I-540 and the widening of I-440.

“We all know how important mobility is to commerce, getting people to and from their work, their jobs, healthcare, places of worship, just their life,” Milazzo said. “Transportation is essential. We’ve got to continue to invest in it.”

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Inside Look: Phase 1 of Complete 540 project begins

Inside Look: Phase 1 of Complete 540 project begins
https://abc11.com/traffic-ncdot-i540-road-work/12997372/

The Complete 540 project is underway right now and today we got an up close look at the progress and how it connects the region.

It's just the bare bones of the southern part of the 540 project but in a year the NCDOT, NC Turnpike Authority, the Regional Transportation Alliance and business leaders say this will change how the region operates.

"Our understanding about this obviously avoiding all of the stop lights in the future stoplights, instead you're in a safe facility free flow 70 miles an hour. Some folks may be saving 10-20 or even more minutes as they travel between portions of Johnston County, Lee County, Chatham County and of course all around Wake County," said Joe Milazzo II, executive director Regional Transportation Alliance.

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Why doesn’t the Triangle’s proposed commuter rail line go to RDU airport? What to know.

Why doesn’t the Triangle’s proposed commuter rail line go to RDU airport? What to know.

News&Observer, February 8, 2023

The simple answer is that the existing rail corridor where GoTriangle would put commuter trains doesn’t go to RDU, and building a spur would be difficult and tremendously expensive.

Because of those similarities, BRT should stand for “Buses Resembling Trains,” says Joe Milazzo, executive director of the Regional Transportation Alliance, which represents the business community on transportation issues. Speaking at the RTA’s annual meeting Jan. 31, Milazzo said the Triangle needs better transit to RDU, but there are limits to what’s possible.

“So once and for all: How do we get trains to the airport? We do not. We do not get ferries to the airport either,” Milazzo told the gathering. “But we are going to do BRT, and BRT stands for ‘Buses Resembling Trains.’ So you’ll have trains to the airport, they’ll just be buses.”

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Annual transportation meeting highlights efforts to enhance access, keep up with population growth

Annual transportation meeting highlights efforts to enhance access, keep up with population growth
ABC-11, WTVD-TV, January 31, 2023

Elected officials met with transit and business leaders in Cary on Tuesday for the annual Regional Transportation Alliance event.

"I think it's important that we have a regional approach. We can't look at it simply from a city (or) community standpoint, we've got to look at the Triangle as a whole and the issues that concern the Triangle as a whole," said Jay Irby, an Area Executive for First Citizens Bank.

The 21st annual meeting featured both virtual and in-person gatherings, with attendees discussing ongoing and proposed plans.

"BRT, Bus Rapid Transit or Buses Resembling Trains, those begin construction this year right over there in Raleigh, but you're going to have it in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, connecting the entire region over time," Joe Milazzo II, Executive Director of Regional Transportation Alliance, explained, while also pointing to work on Interstate 540.

"For the business community, transportation is always among the top issues that we worry about all the time. We want to make sure our associates can get to and from, clients, customers, suppliers, it all has to work," Milazzo added, as he agreed with the need for a long-term approach.

Zero fare ridership on GoCary, GoDurham, GoRaleigh, and GoTriangle has been in effect over the course of the pandemic, as transportation officials study its long-term applicability.

"Is there a way that we can maximize our ridership, maximize the accessibility, because what zero fare does do -- it reduces barriers to not only using transit, but to considering it," Milazzo said.

The fares are set to be suspended through the end of June, with federal CARES act money utilized to help offset revenue losses.

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NC business leaders: The state gas tax is the wrong way to fund roads

NC business leaders: The state gas tax is the wrong way to fund roads
News&Observer, November 27, 2022
Durham Herald-Sun, November 27, 2022
Charlotte Observer, November 27, 2022

Since 2014, NCDOT has charged a fee for EVs, since they cannot pay fuel taxes. The organized regional and statewide business community is elevating a proposal to modernize state highway funding, based on that framework, in the form of a vehicle registration-based access user fee.

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Should Raleigh charge people to ride the bus again? The transit authority thinks so.

Should Raleigh charge people to ride the bus again? The transit authority thinks so.
News&Observer, November 11, 2022

The board that oversees GoRaleigh says it wants the city to start charging people to ride the bus again.

The Raleigh Transit Authority voted 6-2 Thursday to recommend the City Council reinstate bus fares in the fiscal year that begins next July 1. The majority agreed that the city’s bus system needs the money and that riders would be willing to pay.

Before the pandemic, a coalition that includes nonprofit social service groups and the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce was building a case for eliminating fares. They say going fare-free increases ridership, reduces the time buses idle while passengers get on and helps low-income people who depend on the bus, even if they don’t qualify for discounts or free passes.

The city has already chosen to subsidize 85% of bus operations and could afford to cover the rest and make it easier for people who rely on the bus, says Joe Milazzo, executive director of the Regional Transportation Alliance, a program of the Raleigh chamber.

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Transformative Triangle infrastructure project gets $100M in funding to advance work

Transformative Triangle infrastructure project gets $100M in funding to advance work

Triangle Business Journal, October 6, 2022

A $2.2 billion infrastructure project that will transform the southern half of the Triangle just got accelerated.

After votes from the North Carolina Turnpike Authority and North Carolina Board of Transportation in the last week, up to $100 million in funding is being devoted to advancing critical path work for phase two of the southern 540 loop that will be built in southern Wake County.

The funding allocation represents a roughly two-year acceleration of the Complete 540 project, said Joe Milazzo II, executive director of the Regional Transportation Alliance.

"The region is now on the glidepath to complete 540," Milazzo said.

Milazzo said phase one of the southern loop – the section between 7 and 5 o'clock, if looking at it as a clock – is scheduled to be complete in spring 2024. He added that phase two is slated to be complete in the second half of 2028.

Phase one of construction on the southern 540 loop is occurring now, and work will soon begin on phase two.

"It's going to enable the entire extended Triangle market to be as one," Milazzo said regarding completion of the 540 southern loop. "Whether you are in Clayton, Selma, Smithfield, Pine Level, Wilson County, Nash County – we will now have in place a resilient multimodal freeway network to allow jobs and employers to connect with each other."

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Embrace The Space: Joe Milazzo

Embrace The Space: Joe Milazzo
WCHL 97.9 -- ChapelBoro, August 10, 2022

Welcome to “Embrace The Space!” A monthly segment presented by Trinsic Residential Group, “Embrace The Space” features conversations with experts and professionals in town planning, discussing how differing concepts — from land use and housing to transportation and beyond – all come together to create a community that works, and works for people. This month, 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck was joined by Joe Milazzo – executive director for the Regional Transportation Alliance!

According to Milazzo, the RTA is “the voice of the business community on transportation at the regional level.” Founded from a combined effort across multiple Chambers of Commerce, the RTA has been working to determine solutions to transportation issues from airlines to highways for over two decades.

“Transportation is, I hate to say it’s a ‘means to an end,’ but it’s an essential thing,” said Milazzo. “How do we get around the market, how do we get around the community? … People are living in different places, they’re going in different places. We’re not focused on necessarily every particular type of housing, that’s beyond what our scope would be, what what we are focused on is ‘does the network work today, and will it work tomorrow?”

According to Milazzo, one point of transportation requiring frequent evaluation is the system of highways and streets serving to connect people. While highways are almost entirely devoted to a role as transportation conduits, some streets are much more – they host businesses, provide walkways and give people a place to participate in the neighborhoods where they live.

“We have to make sure the traffic flow is working well, but it’s also pedestrian flow,” said Milazzo. “Vulnerable users, bicyclists, that has to work well. And it can’t just be in our cities and towns. We need to have those better networks, the connective tissue for the market.”

Of course, the concept of transit and getting people where they need – and want – to go involves far more than roads. Mass and public transit are a crucial piece of the puzzle, especially in areas like the Triangle where expansion is happening rapidly and more people start to call here “home.”

“[Accessible public transit] reduces a barrier,” said Milazzo. “There are folks who may be willing to try transit, but they’re like ‘I don’t know how much it costs, where do I buy a ticket, how does transfer work?’ ‘Oh, screw it, I’ll just drive.’ If you eliminate that, that helps get more people on to the system, and that creates more viability.”

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Riding the bus in Raleigh will be free for another year. Should it always be?

Riding the bus in Raleigh will be free for another year. Should it always be?
News&Observer, June 18, 2022

People have been able to ride city buses in Raleigh for free since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the City Council has extended the free rides for another year, through June 2023.

A coalition that includes nonprofit social service groups and the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce would like to see zero fares continue indefinitely. They say going fare free increases ridership, reduces the time buses idle while passengers get on and helps low-income people who depend on the bus.

“When you think of all the factors that can impact an individual’s life, success or ability to get into a new job, this is something we can do as a region that could really make a very large difference in people’s lives,” said Joe Milazzo, executive director of the Regional Transportation Alliance, a program of the Raleigh chamber.

Having so much of the system already subsidized makes it easier to do away with fares altogether, said Milazzo. “We can get the rest of the way to zero fare in a way that other regions can’t easily do because we just don’t rely on fares very much to run our buses,” he said. “We’ve already chosen to be almost zero fare.”

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Easing traffic: Triangle leaders propose 37-mile commuter rail

Easing traffic: Triangle leaders propose 37-mile commuter rail
WRAL-TV, March 30, 2022

Triangle leaders want to bring commuter rail – and better bus service – to our fast-growing region. They are proposing a 37-mile-long commuter line to help ease the Triangle's growing traffic.

To gain inspiration for how a commuter line might work here, more than 80 local leaders – including mayors, commissioners and city planners – traveled to South Florida on Wednesday to see for themselves what's worked in Miami – and how it might work here.

"We all know the Triangle is growing," says Joe Milazzo of the Triangle's Regional Transportation Alliance, which hosted this trip to see how South Florida handles transportation and traffic.

"They've got a commuter rail, inner city rail, bus rapid transit," he says. "They have a variety of mobility options. They have a variety of experiences. We want to learn from them."

Leaders took a look at the Tri-Rail train, a route that began in 1989, is more than 70 miles long, linking West Palm While transit plans invariably come with bumps in the road, Raleigh mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin says determination is the key. She hopes showing people how commuter rails work in other cities could help locals envision it for Raleigh.

"People can't love what they can't see," she says. "Many people on this trip have not lived in areas where commuter rail is common."

The Triangle's Regional Transportation Alliance hopes the trip will not just inspire the group, but embolden them to go back home and get on board with a new vision for the Triangle.

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Planners already preparing for traffic Apple hub will add to area roads

Planners already preparing for traffic Apple hub will add to area roads
WRAL-TV, April 27, 2021

"It’s a safe bet that we need to continue to make some critical investments in transportation and mobility," Joe Milazzo, executive director of the Regional Transportation Alliance, said Tuesday.

Major projects are already underway, such as extending the N.C. Highway 540 toll road across southern Wake County. The section connecting Holly Springs to Garner should be finished in 2023 – the same time Apple arrives. Improvements to Capital Boulevard and U.S. Highways 64 and 70 also are in the works.

Several approaches will be needed to ease the potential traffic congestion, Milazzo said, such as bus rapid transit, which combines dedicated lanes for buses and priority at traffic signals to speed riders on their commutes.

"Right now, you might look around and say, 'I don’t see any miles of this bus rapid transit that I thought was coming.’ That’s fair, but in less than 10 years, this region is going to have 55 miles of bus rapid transit in Wake, Durham, Orange and Johnston counties," he said.

Milazzo said businesses can help keep traffic off area roads by allowing people to work from home, even after the pandemic. Keeping employee hours flexible will help cut rush hour congestion, he said.

"We need to continue to be flexible with the approaches we are looking at or solutions [and] pivot if something comes up," he said. "We need to do something different.”

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NCDOT delays hundreds of highway projects, but one in the Triangle will start sooner

NCDOT delays hundreds of highway projects, but one in the Triangle will start sooner
News&Observer, October 8, 2020

Dozens of road and highway construction projects in the Triangle have been delayed as the N.C. Department of Transportation adjusts to rising costs and a drop in revenue brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the downturn in the economy.

The delays affect a range of projects, from routine repaving to the construction of new lanes and bridges and the overhaul of highway interchanges. They include the conversion of U.S. 1 to a freeway between Raleigh and Wake Forest; the widening of U.S. 64/264 between Wendell and Zebulon; and the reconstruction of the Raleigh Beltline interchange with Glenwood Avenue near Crabtree Valley Mall.

One Triangle project will happen sooner than planned. NCDOT now expects to begin construction on the final leg of N.C. 540 between Knightdale and Interstate 40 near Garner in 2026 instead of 2029. The six-lane highway is a toll road, developed by the N.C. Turnpike Authority, which doesn’t rely on gas taxes and other traditional sources of revenue.

“Eastern Wake 540 has a funding source as a turnpike that other projects do not,” said Joe Milazzo, executive director of the Regional Transportation Alliance, a program of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce.

Completing 540 was a top priority for the alliance, so accelerating the final leg by three years is good news, Milazzo said. Construction of an 18-mile segment of N.C. 540, also known as the Triangle Expressway, across southern Wake County began last fall and is expected to open by the end of 2023.

The delays in dozens of other projects in the Triangle are understandable given the circumstances, Milazzo said.

“We’re obviously not thrilled, but we’re obviously not surprised,” he said. “The regional business community is well aware of the financial challenges facing DOT even prior to the pandemic.”

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Regional Transportation Alliance to explore topics key to local mobility

Regional Transportation Alliance to explore topics key to local mobility
WRAL TechWire, January 15, 2020

CARY – The Regional Transportation Alliance (RTA) is set to host its 18th annual meeting this week, focused on the state of transit and mobility in the Triangle region.

Presentations and keynotes from RTA leadership and partners will highlight the expansion of Interstate 540, funding for the RDU Airport and the future of RTA as the organization positions its goals for 2020.

State of Mobility 2020, set for January 17 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Cary, follows RTA’s recent announcement of a new theme to describe its 2020 goals: “Dauntless Resolution,” a reference to the inscription on the Wright Brothers Memorial in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

RTA Executive Director Joe Milazzo says, “Dauntless resolution is both a key part and concise description of what the regional business community will need to possess to advance our transportation priorities, and to ensure the success and prosperity of our region into the new year and decade.”

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The Year Ahead: Joe Milazzo

The Year Ahead: Joe Milazzo
News&Observer, December 28, 2019

This essay is one of a series written by Triangle leaders and experts about their visions for a new decade.

The Regional Transportation Alliance is the voice of the business community on transportation, and a regional program of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. Our top priority for 2020 is sustainable funding for Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

RDU is the nation’s most-connected non-hub airport, and the region loves its beautiful campus and increasing array of nonstop destinations.

However, the Triangle’s growth has created the need for $3 billion to $4 billion in infrastructure at the airport, including new or reconstructed runways and taxiways, expanded terminals and more gates, additional security checkpoints, and even more curb space. RTA has a task force looking at possible solutions for a potentially multi-billion-dollar funding gap. We will speak more about this at our annual meeting on January 17.

By the end of the next decade, I would like to see our region fully embracing quality bus transportation as a legitimate, and often preferred, way to get around, with our roadways having been transformed into true multimodal freeways and streets that prioritize transit.

We will have five or more bus rapid transit (BRT) corridors open in several of our communities by 2027, each with dedicated or priority transit lanes. RTA, with support from GoTriangle and NCDOT, is commissioning a study to accelerate the creation of a regional Freeway And Street-based Transit (“FAST”) network that would effectively complement, extend, and link the BRT corridors while providing seamless connections to future commuter rail.

Both BRT and regional FAST buses would be powered by electricity or compressed natural gas and provide rapid, frequent, reliable and easy-to-use service, with traffic signal priority to keep buses moving. The regional business community looks forward to the next decade of progress, mobility and prosperity.

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