Raleigh updates Bus Rapid Transit program; New Bern construction re‑advertised after failed bids

Raleigh City staff presented an update on the city’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) program at a council work session, summarizing project status, federal funding steps and recent procurement problems on the New Bern Avenue corridor.

The briefing by Het Patel of the city’s Transit Division reviewed four corridors identified in the Wake Transit Plan and outlined how federal grant requirements, station design and contractor interest are shaping schedules and construction approach. "Bus rapid transit really falls within that third big move, which is providing frequent, reliable, urban mobility," Patel said.

The update is notable because the New Bern Avenue project — which has a full funding grant agreement for federal funds and is in the construction phase — received no acceptable bids when first advertised and then produced a single bid over the engineer’s estimate on re‑advertisement. That prompted the city to reject the October 2024 bid and pursue a revised procurement strategy. Patel described plans to split the New Bern construction into geographic packages and to separate horizontal roadway work from vertical station work to attract more contractors and reduce bid risk.

New Bern Avenue specifics and procurement timeline New Bern Avenue is a 5.4‑mile corridor with about 3.8 miles proposed in dedicated bus lanes, 10 new stations and a planned fleet of seven 60‑foot articulated buses that would run on compressed natural gas. The project includes signal priority at intersections and a multiuse path or protected bicycle facilities where right‑of‑way permits.

Patel said the full New Bern project was advertised in March 2024 with a two‑year construction window and produced no bids by May 2024. After contractor feedback, the city re‑advertised the horizontal roadway package with an extended 3.5‑year window and received a single bid in October 2024 that exceeded the engineer’s estimate; the council rejected that bid…