North Charlotte Today

The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CRTPO) has been awarded $5 million through the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Discretionary Grant program. The CRTPO is one of three recipients in North Carolina and one of 148 projects awarded across the country.

“This RAISE grant award represents a remarkable investment in our region by our federal partners,” said CRTPO Director Robert Cook. “This funding will allow the CRTPO and its member jurisdictions to conduct a landmark study that addresses issues of safety as well as equity, sustainability, and accessibility in communities throughout our region that have been marginalized by underinvestment.”

The CRTPO’s project, Making Our Roads SAFER: A Cross-Jurisdictional Study, will comprehensively examine prevailing transportation issues in Areas of Persistent Poverty (APP), Historically Disadvantaged Communities (HDC), and Rural Areas (RA) throughout the CRTPO’s planning area. By focusing the study on these geographies defined and prioritized by RAISE, the project will be 100% federally funded, with no local match required.

SAFER represents the guiding principles of this study:

- Safety Improvements: Protect non-motorized travelers; reduce fatalities and serious injuries.

- Accessible Design: Increase accessibility for non-motorized travelers; restore and modernize existing infrastructure.

- Flexible Trips: Increase affordable transportation choices; reduce vehicle dependence.

- Equitable Planning: Engage residents and community-based organizations; reduce transportation cost burdens.

- Reconnecting Communities: Improve access to daily destinations; improve system-wide connectivity.

The CRTPO will work with its member jurisdictions, local organizations, and residents to identify critical corridors and intersections for comprehensive mobility audits and prioritize solutions that make roads safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists.

The Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity, or RAISE Discretionary Grant program, provides a unique opportunity for USDOT to invest in road, rail, transit, and port projects that promise to achieve national objectives. The RAISE Discretionary Grant program supports the planning and constructing of transportation projects in historically underinvested communities. Visit https://www.transportation.gov/RAISEgrants for more information.

The CRTPO is the federally designated metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the Charlotte urban area, which includes Iredell County, Mecklenburg County, and the urban portion of Union County.