/// Accomplishments

■ The N.C. Board of Transportation adopted the 2016 -2025 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), the first under the new Strategic Transportation Investments (STI) law. The new law created the Strategic Mobility Formula, a data-driven process to prioritize projects and make more efficient use of our existing revenues. The STIP shows that the law is working as intended as the department will be able to fully or partially fund 303 additional projects and support the creation of about 126,000 more jobs than under the previous funding formula.

■ The department took a major step toward improving mobility along one of the state’s most congested interstate corridors, signing a public-private partnership agreement with Cintra to build express lanes along 26 miles of I-77 in the Charlotte metro region. The partnership enables NCDOT to improve travel time on I-77 now by leveraging new funds through Cintra’s investment. Without it, North Carolina would not have sufficient funds to complete the project for at least 20 years.

■ NCDOT will be replacing the aging Herbert C. Bonner Bridge over the Oregon Inlet with a new parallel bridge based on a settlement agreement NCDOT and its partner agencies reached with Defenders of Wildlife and the National Wildlife Refuge Association represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center. The bridge is the only highway link between Hatteras Island and the mainland, and is in frequent need of repair and maintenance. The bridge replacement is crucial for the safety of drivers and the economic vitality of the Outer Banks. Under the agreement, NCDOT will also consider options that would move vulnerable portions of N.C. 12 out of the southern half of Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and into Pamlico Sound.

■ The N.C. Turnpike Authority signed agreements to make NC Quick Pass®, North Carolina’s toll road transponder, interoperable with E-ZPass®, SunPass® and Peach Pass®. The agreements have expanded the versatility of the NC Quick Pass® system, making it the most comprehensive transponder program along the East Coast.

/// New Initiatives

■ Governor Pat McCrory’s 25-Year Vision for transportation in North Carolina was released in September 2014. It includes 22 high-level solutions that address long-term challenges faced by each of the state’s four major regions and the state as a whole, and provides a roadmap for strategic transportation investment over the next quarter century.

■ NCDOT is implementing a number of initiatives to improve customer service at the Division of Motor Vehicles, including expanding office hours, providing online driver license and identification card renewal, and installing self-serve kiosks in driver license offices and other popular locations. Within the first month of availability, more than 30,000 customers took advantage of the online renewal service.

■ For the first time, NCDOT has contracted with a private company to oversee sponsorship of NCDOT’s Incident Management Assistance Patrol (IMAP) program. This is one of several such sponsorships to help offset the cost of providing some of the department’s operational programs and services.

/// Looking Ahead

■ NCDOT will continue its work to implement STI and fulfill Governor McCrory’s 25-Year Vision for transportation. A key focus for the department will be to identify and pursue funding options that diversify and sustain our funding stream.

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NORTH CAROLINA