August 17, 2021

Since becoming Mayor in 2019, I’ve worked hard to improve and expand Raleigh’s infrastructure to meet the needs of our growing city. I've led our City Council to promote job creation, expand public transportation options, and advance sustainable energy practices.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure bill supported by President Biden and just passed by the Senate will allow our city to make important investments, including repairing roads and bridges, providing necessary maintenance to our water systems and electrical grid, and improving airport and other regional public transportation. And if we didn’t know it before the pandemic, we now know how critical it is for everyone – students and adults alike – to have readily available and reliable broadband internet access, which this legislation provides.

The bill marks the largest investment in public transit in history and will allow Raleigh to expand bus rapid transit, improve regular routes, build bus stop shelters and fund commuter rail with our regional partners.

Recognizing the role that emissions play in climate change, the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill will help move us toward our long-term goal of 100 percent clean buses, boost environmentally friendly electricity sources, and incentivize the purchase of consumer electric vehicles. While GoTriangle moves forward with a proposal for commuter rail from Clayton to Durham, which would reduce congestion along the I-40 corridor and connect our region, the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill includes the largest investment in Amtrak since its creation, hopefully paving the way for more frequent and faster rail service between Raleigh, Atlanta, D.C. and up the eastern seaboard.

I am thankful to the bipartisan group of Senators and to President Biden who moved this forward. Our city and state will become more accessible, connected, and greener. But this piece of legislation alone won’t solve all our problems. Raleigh needs local leaders who continue to think big and are willing to make the necessary investments to keep our city moving forward. We can’t afford to look back now.