NCDOT drafts 10-year transportation improvement plan

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has unveiled the state's draft transportation plan for 2020-29.

Known as the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), the plan outlines the department's proposed funding and construction schedule for projects to be completed over a 10-year period.

The plan is updated every two years. Projects scheduled in the first five years of a plan are considered committed and are not re-evaluated, but projects in the final five years of the 10-year plan are prioritized again, along with suggested new projects, NCDOT officials said in a press release.

The draft covers projects affecting all modes of transportation, including 1,266 for highways, 23 for public transit and 47 for rail.

NCDOT's 14 highway divisions will hold in-house, weeklong sessions in February and March for the public to obtain more information and ask questions about projects included in the plan.

North Carolina's Board of Transportation is expected to consider final approval of the plan this summer.