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 in January. Since then, staff held an industry day (Jan. 27), scheduled one‑on‑one follow ups with contractors, engaged the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) for a constructability review and revised the advertisement strategy. The current plan is to advertise Area 1 (downtown and east of I‑440) in late March–early April and Area 2 (the median running transitway) in June–July; the station construction package will be advertised after horizontal work schedules are set.

Patel cautioned that some station elements tied to federal grant commitments cannot be removed for value engineering, but material and technology decisions at station sites could be adjusted if costs remain prohibitive. On the question of using the articulated buses before BRT service begins, Patel said federal rules and grant conditions constrain using federally procured vehicles in revenue service outside the funded project without a waiver.

Southern and Western corridors Staff described the Southern Corridor as roughly 5 miles with about 3.8 miles in dedicated lanes (about 75% dedicated), nine new stations and a need for seven articulated buses. The preferred alignment includes a South Wilmington Street extension and would affect some commercial properties; the design team has attempted to limit impacts and noted some city‑owned parcels present redevelopment opportunities. The Southern Corridor was reported as roughly 30% designed and under internal review; staff said a presidential budget allocation of $85,900,000 was listed in May of last year and that the project could advance to a full funding grant agreement if 60% designs and risk/readiness reviews are completed with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

The Western Corridor is approximately 12 miles with about 7.5 miles of dedicated lanes, 18 stations and an estimated need for 10 articulated buses. Final design work began after council authorized a consultant contract in December 2024; staff expect a 30% design submittal in summer/fall 2025. The Western Corridor was submitted for federal ratings in August 2024 and staff said they expect rating results in the spring federal review cycle.

Northern Corridor planning and regional coordination Staff described the Northern Corridor work as a major investment study (planning phase) to evaluate extensions north of downtown to Midtown Raleigh and to Triangle Town Center. Patel emphasized the Northern Corridor work is not yet in the federal grant pipeline and is being studied to determine which alignment would be most competitive for federal capital programs versus a local Wake Transit implementation. The study began in 2022 with alternatives screening and will refine two candidate alignments for each connection, conduct public engagement in summer and return to council with locally preferred alternatives.

Funding, federal process and program risks Patel and other staff reiterated that Wake Transit financial assumptions anticipate roughly 50% federal participation for these corridors and that FTA’s processes are competitive and staged (project development, rating applications, then full funding grant agreements for allocated projects). Patel noted the New Bern grant was executed in August 2022 and the city has been drawing down design costs to date; staff said prior drawdowns reduce the risk of a federal de‑obligation tied only to inactivity.

Council members asked detailed questions about procurement, tree and streetscape planning, station solar arrays, pedestrian access to stations, and how to manage multiple general contractors across segmented construction packages. "There are resources that are, rightfully, transported into areas that are more in need," Patel said when asked whether other statewide post‑storm work had affected contractor availability, referring to market conditions. Council members emphasized coordinating land use planning and transit‑oriented development (TOD) with corridor design, especially on the Northern Corridor and Capitol Boulevard approaches.

Rail connections and transit network context Assistant City Manager Michael Moore characterized the S line (a proposed commuter rail alignment discussed regionally) and BRT as complementary services: "The S line is, and the, and BRT are really complimentary services," Moore said. Staff noted state and regional partners — including the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) and neighboring municipalities — have adopted locally preferred alternatives for the Southern and Western corridors into regional plans, which the FTA considers when assessing federal applications.

Other technical notes and design features Staff described station features such as level boarding (except on mixed‑traffic stops), solar PV to offset station electrical loads (not to fully eliminate grid connection), bicycle accommodations and signal priority systems that let buses request extended or early greens for on‑time performance. Private utilities still in the right‑of‑way have been identified as a risk; staff said some relocations are underway and that undergrounding is generally cost‑prohibitive for these corridors.

Next steps Staff said they will continue contractor outreach, finalize re‑advertisement packaging for New Bern, advance Southern and Western corridor design milestones and complete the Northern Corridor screening and public engagement this year for council review. Several council members urged parallel land‑use planning and TOD work so communities can understand likely development impacts and opportunities as projects advance.

The work session did not record formal votes related to the projects; staff said forthcoming items to council would include bid awards, condemnation authorization at 60% design where required, and future grant agreement steps.