U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently visited North Carolina for his first state trip on his national summer construction tour that highlights federal investments and infrastructure projects.
The secretary was joined by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper for multiple stops, Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines, Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams, and other officials.
Projects on the tour include:
Buttigieg and Cooper attended the groundbreaking ceremony for phase one of the $2.9 million Salem Parkway Multi-Use Trail in Winston-Salem. The project will build a 1.3 mile urban trail that will link downtown and a number of residential neighborhoods. The project received Federal Transportation Alternatives and Surface Transportation Block Grant Program funds.
Buttigieg and Cooper spoke with students at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s Transportation Institute in Greensboro about their research projects and toured the facility. The institute conducts autonomous vehicles research.
Buttigieg and Cooper joined a walking tour of Holloway Street in Durham. The city was awarded a $12 million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant to increase safety along the street. Work will include upgrading bus stops, closing sidewalk gaps, and improving intersections.
North Carolina has received $9.3 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for more than 439 projects.