The Charlotte region has grown significantly over the last several years, earning high rankings on lists ranging from the best places to live, work, and retire to the real estate markets to watch. From my vantage point serving on the NCDOT Board of Transportation and in various roles affiliated with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Planning Commission, I see considerable untapped potential for continued growth and the economic advancement of individuals living and working in our region. A concerted and sustained approach to regional transportation and infrastructure planning would tap into and unleash this potential. We have the right ingredients in the region with access to deep-water seaports, one of the world’s busiest airports, class 1 rail carriers, a critical mass of manufacturing, and a highly educated workforce. With the forthcoming infusion of federal funding, we will have more resources to modernize and build out the infrastructure necessary to realize the vision of what the Charlotte region can be – a thriving hub for shipping, transportation, and international logistics.

The ROI on Infrastructure Investment

On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed into law the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) as a bipartisan effort to position the country to not only compete, but to excel on the global stage in the future. The IIJA includes substantial funding for public transit, as well as port, waterway, and airport infrastructure which are critical to supply chain and logistical management. $89.9 billion is slated for public transit funding over the next five years, including $39 billion of new investment for modernization. $17 billion will go to port infrastructure and waterways, and $25 billion is designated for airports. The public transit investment has been hailed as “the largest Federal investment in public transit in history.” The law also includes much needed investments in broadband infrastructure, roads and bridges, passenger rail, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure. It has been projected that each $1 increase in federal investment in highways, bridges, and public transit under the IIJA will spark up to $3.60 in economic activity. Nationwide, the IIJA has been projected to increase employment by 200,000 per year between 2022-27 and to add $488 billion to U.S. GDP due to highway, bridge, and public transit investments. North Carolina is slated to receive $8.68 billion in IIJA funds for highway, bridge, and transit investment over the next five years, and it has been estimated that the investment will add $1.7 billion in gross domestic product per year.

The IIJA is a remarkable achievement for the country and the American people. And it is the benefit to our people that justifies the magnitude of this investment. For individuals to thrive, mobility and access are critical – access to jobs, education, and medical care, as well as exercise, recreation and entertainment. Robust transportation and communication infrastructure will drive individual economic opportunity and foster continued economic development throughout the country, including in the Charlotte region. But this reality will not manifest without significant effort towards developing a regional approach to transportation planning. The greater Charlotte region includes 12+ counties in two states that are allocated to more than five NCDOT divisions and multiple metropolitan/rural planning organizations. Our regional economy and the way people and goods move largely ignore these dividing lines, making it critical that we devise a way to overcome the inefficiencies of collaboration (financial and political) and invest in infrastructure.

The Time is Now

Over the course of several years, there has been a convergence of key forces impacting transportation planning and driving the need for regional collaboration. The urban areas of North Carolina are growing and becoming economic powerhouses. Over the next fifteen years, Mecklenburg County and Wake County have been projected to each have 1/3 of the entire state’s population growth. With the boom in population comes congestion. An axiom of transportation infrastructure – in rapidly growing areas, you cannot build roads wide enough to move peak hour traffic like it moves during non-peak hours for the long-term. If transportation is clogged, your economy is clogged.

In addition to changing demographics, emerging technology is disrupting the transportation industry and driving the need for supporting infrastructure. Electric and autonomous vehicles, ride sharing services and personal micro mobility options, drones, and high-speed internet are transforming the way people and goods are moved. With these technological advances there has been a shift in mobility preferences. We are seeing an increased desire for walkability and a resurgence of biking and passenger rail as alternatives to driving.

The Sweet Spot

As we work to meet the challenges of these changing dynamics, we also are focusing on finding creative solutions for funding and financing future infrastructure and transportation projects. The gas tax has been a consistent source of funding but is leveling off and projected to decline. Other methods of financing are going to become more necessary. The goal should be to find the sweet spot – where we are at our best, understanding all of these factors and our needs, with the funding available to meet them and to catapult the region into a position of economic vitality and competitiveness for our urban and rural areas alike.

Conclusion: The View Ahead

There are thousands of trips every day in this region. People are commuting mostly for work, education, healthcare, personal errands, and entertainment. They are traveling between urban, rural and suburban locations using all kinds of modes: car (owned and shared), bus, rail, biking, and walking. They are crossing lines every day: county lines, town lines, school district lines, the NC/SC state line, NCDOT division lines, and MPO/RPO lines. Commuters are focused on their destinations, safety, and mobility, not on all of the lines they are crossing. Because of our population growth and because people are moving all over this region every day, we need to collaborate as a region to maximize our transportation investments to make sure this whole region continues to be a great place to live and work – an affordable, sustainable, and livable place.

This is the first in a series of articles on transportation in the 12+ county Charlotte region, and collaboration on transportation.