Pete Buttigieg Secretary of Transportation | Official website
This week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joined Governor Roy Cooper in North Carolina to visit active construction sites and groundbreakings for critical infrastructure projects enabled by President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda. The tour included meetings with local leaders, union representatives, workers, and small business owners.
The trip marked the start of Secretary Buttigieg's summer construction tour, during which he will visit new and ongoing infrastructure projects nationwide.
On Monday in Raleigh, Secretary Buttigieg joined Governor Cooper and North Carolina DOT Secretary Joey Hopkins for a groundbreaking ceremony celebrating the Raleigh to Richmond rail line project. This initiative has received $1.1 billion in federal funding from the Biden-Harris Administration’s infrastructure investments.
Secretary Buttigieg and Governor Cooper also participated in a roundtable discussion at the AFL-CIO in Raleigh with union leaders and representatives from several North Carolina union locals to discuss local needs and issues.
Following this event, the Secretary visited the ongoing construction along I-440 to receive a briefing on the Blue Ridge Road project, which has received $15.2 million from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
On Tuesday morning in Winston-Salem, Secretary Buttigieg toured construction sites for the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway Project, funded with $350 million from the federal government. He then joined Governor Cooper and other local leaders outside Truist Stadium to break ground on the Salem Parkway Multi-Use Path project.
Later that day, they traveled to North Carolina A&T State University’s Transportation Institute for discussions about transportation research and innovation. The trip concluded with a visit to Durham to highlight RAISE grant investments, including a $12 million grant for improving 33 intersections along Holloway Street.
Charlotte Observer reported: "USDOT’s Pete Buttigieg helps kick off $1.1 billion passenger rail project in Raleigh." Spectrum News 1 noted: "Gov. Roy Cooper joined U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Monday to break ground on a new high-speed rail line."
Newsweek highlighted: "Speaking at Monday's event in North Raleigh, Buttigieg thanked North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis who was one of 18 Senate Republicans who crossed the floor to support the infrastructure bill in 2021."
Governor Cooper remarked: “North Carolina has done very well in investments from the federal government with this bipartisan infrastructure legislation.” WXII 12 News quoted Buttigieg saying: "The best moments are when projects become reality."
Richmond Times-Dispatch cited Buttigieg stating: “Every one of those projects — and the 57,000 others that are funded through President Biden’s infrastructure package — is really about making everyday life easier for Americans.”
WFMY News 2 reported that Buttigieg checked out the Northern Beltway Project under construction as part of his National Summer Construction Tour. WRAL News covered Buttigieg breaking ground on a direct rail connecting Triangle to Richmond by saying it will create many benefits before its completion around 2029 or 2030.
ABC 11 Raleigh-Durham mentioned that Bull City was awarded $12 million by USDOT for improvements along Holloway Street expected to benefit small business owners and residents alike.
Railway Age noted NCDOT Secretary Joey Hopkins' LinkedIn post thanking partners for making S-Line passenger rail a reality seven months after announcing grants.
WNCN - CBS 17 quoted Buttigieg: “This really represents the beginning of a new era of passenger rail in North Carolina.”
