North Carolina: Moving Ahead!

Transportation has reached a critical junction in North Carolina. A thorough re-examination of the status of our transportation system shows that maintenance, modernization and public transportation needs have been seriously under-funded. A strategic course correction is needed to ensure the ongoing reliability, efficiency and safety of our transportation system. North Carolina: Moving Ahead! is a bold, immediate action initiative to address these needs quickly and efficiently by: 

• Providing $700 million for highway maintenance, modernization and public transportation over the next two years. 
• Immediately increasing the highway maintenance budget by 45 percent over the next two years. 
• Jumpstarting the highway modernization program with a 25 percent increase. 
• Increasing public transportation funding by about 25 percent over the next two years. 

North Carolina: Moving Ahead! will provide funding for these strategic transportation improvements without raising existing taxes and fees by: 

• Removing spending restrictions on $700 million of transportation bonds - these bond proceeds remain to be earmarked from the 1996 bond authorization, and are currently targeted for Highway Trust Fund projects.
• Allowing bond proceeds to be used to preserve and modernize North Carolina's infrastructure. 

North Carolina: Moving Ahead! will refocus the State's investment strategy to emphasize resurfacing rough roads, widening narrow lanes and shoulders, improving congested intersections, replacing deficient bridges, as well as funding a variety of safety and traffic flow improvements. This initiative will also upgrade our public transportation system by supporting regional rail, replacing outdated bus equipment, and improving bicycle and pedestrian facilities. 

This is an environmentally-friendly initiative that will immediately pump dollars into the State's economy. North Carolina: Moving Ahead! will create nearly 30,000 jobs and have a $4 billion impact on the state's economy. 

The time is now, as the price of inaction is falling further behind. Our future depends on a high quality transportation system. North Carolina: Moving Ahead! takes the necessary first steps to secure that future.