HNTB to plan final design for city of Raleigh's BRT program

May 26, 2023
The Southern Corridor will be one of four Wake County BRT corridors to advance to final design.

The city of Raleigh, N.C., contracted HNTB Corporation for the final design of GoRaleigh’s Wake Bus Rapid Transit (BRT): Southern Corridor project. This will be the second of four planned Wake County BRT corridors to advance to final design. The Southern Corridor is an approximately five-mile-long project with 3.8 miles of dedicated transit lanes. The project includes approximately one mile of new roadway construction.

In 2020, HTNB performed system design for all four BRT corridors and final design for the New Bern Avenue BRT, a project which is approaching completion.

One of four BRT lines funded through a 0.50-cent sales tax passed in 2016, the Southern Corridor BRT will connect downtown Raleigh with the Town of Garner, including the Downtown South project, a 135-acre, 2.5-million-square-foot, mixed-use urban development set to break ground along the corridor.

“This and several other BRT projects in the city of Raleigh represent a significant investment in transit by the city and supported by county residents through a sales tax referendum, which passed in 2016,” said Spencer Franklin, HNTB’s Carolinas office leader. "Of even greater significance is how this transit investment will connect residents and historically underserved communities to economic opportunity, greater housing and retail options. Leveraging transit and transportation to improve these connections is at the core of HNTB’s values, and as a firm, we are proud to continue to be part of this project.”