WHEREAS, the United States Department of Transportation designated the Washington-Richmond-Raleigh-Charlotte rail corridor for future high-speed rail development in 1992; and

WHEREAS, the United States Department of Transportation designated Charlotte-Spartanburg-Greenville-Atlanta-Macon and Raleigh-Columbia-Savannah-Jacksonville rail corridors as extensions to the original Washington-Charlotte rail corridor for future high-speed rail development in 1998; and

WHEREAS, eight high-speed rail corridors have been designated nationally by the United States Department of Transportation, one being the Southeast Corridor, as the above described system is known; and

WHEREAS, the future development of high-speed service in North Carolina has been formally acknowledged for portions of the Southeast Corridor by the North Carolina Board of Transportation as part of the Department of Transportation's 1995 comprehensive transportation plan; and

WHEREAS, the population of the state of North Carolina has grown rapidly over the past decade and this rapid growth is projected to continue into the next decade; and

WHEREAS, the rapidly increasing volumes of vehicle traffic associated with this growth continue to require massive expenditures on new infrastructure and bring about critical maintenance needs; and

WHEREAS, the negative impacts of this vehicle traffic on the quality of water and air throughout our state are becoming critical concerns; and

WHEREAS, utilization of our rail network offers significant economic development, environmental, and safety benefits, and is a solution to increasing highway congestion; and

WHEREAS, much existing railroad right of way is already in place which could accommodate improvements to passenger rail service.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT:
The North Carolina Board of Transportation supports and desires the development of higher speed rail service along the Federally-Designated Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor network described herein and supports the undertaking of studies and planning required to bring about implementation of these service improvements. The North Carolina Department of Transportation will propose final high-speed corridor alignments in Transportation Plans and on Thoroughfare Plan maps as part of the transportation planning process. The Department will encourage local governments to provide for land development that is harmonious with the development of the Southeast Corridor and future high-speed rail and transit options.

This, the fourth day of March 1999.

Contact: Paul Worley

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