The City of Raleigh will begin construction on phase one of the long-awaited Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) System.
City transportation leaders will provide an update Monday on how construction may impact residents and travelers along New Bern Avenue.
Other WRAL Top Stories
The city broke ground on the Wake Bus Rapid Transit project nearly two years ago.
Now, construction crews will break some ground to get one step closer to the buses rolling.
“New Bern is the first project that is going to start construction next month, and it's going to be 5.4 miles with 3.3 miles of dedicated bus lanes,” said Aya Aldais, Senior Project Manager at City of Raleigh.
Phase One of New Bern Avenue will connect downtown Raleigh with WakeMed and New Hope Road with frequent and reliable transit.
This BRT line will have 10 stations. The buses will receive priority green lights at intersections and often travel in their own dedicated lanes, avoiding delays caused by traffic.
“This is a great project because it's not only upgrading the road by itself, it's going to give service to the residents and to help move and transport from point A to point B in a faster, more convenient way,” Aldais added.
Ahead of the anticipated construction date next month, neighbors will have the chance to hear directly from the construction team and share concerns about how this could affect their day to day lives.
Phase one alone will take about two years to complete.
“One thing that we do want to let the public know is that businesses will remain open with access to all businesses during this process, as well as to all residents during the prop process, so nothing will have to close during construction,” said Tiffanie Mazanek, Communications Analyst at City of Raleigh.
When it opens in the summer of 2030, the New Bern Avenue bus rapid transit line will run about 5.4 miles between downtown Raleigh and a new park-and-ride lot off New Hope Road.
“To be honest, people are excited about this project,” Aldais added.
Transportation leaders are reassuring that it’ll be worth the wait.
Last month, city leaders awarded a $28.6 million contract for part one of the project.
Monday’s public meeting is from 6 to 8 p.m. at Chavis Community Center, located at 505 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.