Writer: Liz Palmer
2 min read June 2022 — The impact of President Joe Biden’s Federal Infrastructure Bill has begun trickling in, with $57.9 million being allocated to the high-speed S-line between Raleigh and Richmond last Friday. The announcement is great timing for local officials, as the robust growth of the Triangle region has brought to the forefront conversations of infrastructural improvement needs.
The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina’s CEO Christopher Chung told Invest: in an interview last month that those needs must be addressed for any growth to continue sustainably. “With growth comes other issues, such as traffic, school crowding, and availability and affordability of housing,” Chung said. “The key is what policies are being implemented to address these issues? One thing that we’ve been hearing a lot in the past year is the environmental impact. We have to ensure that wherever these manufacturing companies go, there isn’t a significant environmental cost.”
Gov. Roy Cooper echoed Chung’s statement at a press conference last week, saying, “The Raleigh to Richmond rail expansion is a major investment in our infrastructure that will help North Carolinians get where they need to go in a faster, cleaner and more reliable way. As North Carolina continues to grow, we have to make sure our rail infrastructure keeps up and provides more options for travelers and growing communities.”
The 4th Congressional District Representative David Price, who is also the Chairman of the Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, tweeted after the funding’s announcement that the project is now “on track to provide clean, fast, & reliable transportation across the Southeast” and spoke at the press conference about how the rail will have further positive impacts on the region. “Developing intercity passenger rail service along the ‘S-Line’ corridor will drastically improve economic mobility, bolster safety, and reduce highway congestion between Raleigh and Richmond,” he said.
According to the grant’s parameters, the project “will eventually result in new intercity passenger rail service on a state-owned route that will access currently underserved and minority rural communities with rail service, as well as improve travel times on the existing Amtrak Silver Meteor service.” The urgency of the grant is apparent to lawmakers – the $57.9 million investment is exponentially higher than other allocations of the Infrastructure Bill made up to this point. The closest grant amount to North Carolina’s is California, awarding up to $25 million to Alameda County’s Rail Safety Enhancement Program.
Transportation infrastructure in the Triangle is not only top of mind at the federal level. Alongside the incoming S-rail updates, Raleigh’s local leaders have been busy addressing what new accommodations are needed to better integrate the influx of people and businesses to the area. Projects such as the Maywood Avenue Sidewalk Project are effectively improving walkability by updating paths and bike lanes. In coordination with Wake County’s Transit Plan, Bus Rapid Transit projects are underway to be completed by 2030 and will deliver transit lanes for 20 miles. One such project is a proposed Western Boulevard Corridor, which is up for a final public hearing this evening. If passed, the line would connect the 12 miles between Downtown Raleigh and Downtown Cary via public transit, according to the proposal.
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