NCDOT OKs long-term transportation plan

The North Carolina Department of Transportation's (NCDOT) board last week approved the 2016-2025 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), which includes nearly 1,100 projects in the state over the next decade.

NCDOT officials developed the plan using the strategic mobility formula, which provides a method for distributing funding for and prioritizing transportation projects.

"This new data-driven formula takes the politics out of transportation and allows us to invest in more projects that will increase safety, reduce congestion and enhance economic competitiveness," NCDOT Secretary Tony Tata said in a statement.

The STIP includes projects across all transportation modes in all of the state's counties. Of the total number of projects, five are rail-specific, and 10 are related to public transit. The program calls for investing in 418 highway-related projects, as well as 138 interstate maintenance projects.