Raleigh City Council endorses Northern Corridor Major Investment Study for future BRT lines

On May 19, the Raleigh City Council endorsed the Northern Corridor Major Investment Study (MIS) for two bus rapid transit (BRT) lines in the city of Raleigh, N.C. The city has begun requesting submissions from firms to conduct planning, engineering and design for work on both Northern BRT routes.

The study identified Midtown Alternative 6 and Triangle Town Center 3 as the recommended route alignments for the two Northern BRT corridors after detailed planning, technical analysis and community feedback.  

The Northern BRT projects are designed to improve transit service, increase connectivity and support future growth along key travel corridors in Raleigh. The projects will help provide faster, more reliable transportation options for residents, workers and visitors traveling throughout the city.    

In 2016, Wake County, N.C., voters approved a one-half percent sales tax to be dedicated to the further development and enhancement of public transportation systems within the county. The Wake Transit Plan was then adopted. The plan provided recommendations for both long-range and near-term solutions for the region, focusing on tripling countywide bus service, increasing the number of high frequency routes running every 15 minutes or less, adding BRT and funding additional on-demand trips to serve the unincorporated area of the county.

In 2018, the MIS was commissioned for four corridors to define specific BRT project alternatives for each corridor. The Northern corridor from downtown Raleigh to Crabtree Boulevard was one of the corridors selected. In 2021, the Wake Transit Vision plan extended the corridor to Triangle Town Center and Midtown and the Northern Corridor MIS began a year later in 2022.