Today Governor Josh Stein joined the North Carolina Department of Transportation for the North Carolina Transportation Summit to highlight the value of innovation in the transportation industry and to celebrate NCDOT’s work to keep North Carolina moving.
“Transportation impacts every aspect of people's lives. North Carolinians need to be able to count on roads, bridges, trains, and ferries that can get them where they need to go,” said Governor Josh Stein. “We will continue to do everything we can to make sure people can travel as safely and efficiently as possible.”
Earlier this month, Governor Josh Stein and Transportation Secretary Daniel Johnson joined the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in Raleigh to announce $550 million in Federal-State Partnership funding to advance the S-Line Raleigh to Richmond Innovating Rail Program, a project that will reduce Raleigh-to-Richmond travel times by more than an hour and strengthen connections across the Northeast while improving mobility and accessibility. As one of the first projects in this program, NCDOT expects the new bridge for the Durant Road Grade Separation project in Raleigh to be completed in November 2026, with final restoration work concluding in July 2028.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation continues to innovate in the field of aviation. Last month, Governor Stein joined the North Carolina Department of Transportation at the eLIFT-NC Showcase to celebrate North Carolina’s first electric air taxi flights through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Advanced Air Mobility and Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program (eIPP). NCDOT’s eLIFT-NC initiative aims to create a network connecting airports and hospitals using air taxis to improve rural health care access and disaster response efforts. Governor Stein also joined the N.C. Global TransPark and the U.S. Navy in Kinston for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE). The facility will maintain and repair military aircraft and advanced combat helicopters for the United States military and bring more than 400 jobs to eastern North Carolina, with an estimated $140 million annual economic impact.
Artificial intelligence is also impacting the transportation sector, whether through autonomous vehicles, traffic management, tools for improving the safety of highway crews and the traveling public, or systems at the DMV. This year, Governor Stein’s AI Leadership Council released its strategic roadmap, which seeks to a) protect residents from the harms of AI through strong protections for workers, consumers, and critical public systems; b) prepare workers in developing the skills to succeed in the jobs of today and tomorrow; and c) use artificial intelligence to transform how state government works for people. While the state pursues these goals, Governor Stein is committed to keeping people at the center: expanding people’s capabilities rather than narrowing their opportunities. Click here to read the AI Leadership Council’s Strategic Roadmap.
Governor Stein and the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Division of Motor Vehicles are also laser-focused on improving the DMV experience statewide so North Carolinians can get in, get out, and get on with their day. As of September 2026, the average DMV wait time is down to 17 minutes statewide – a 90 percent decrease from a year prior. Click here to read more about Team DMV’s work to improve the DMV experience statewide.
NCDOT is hard at work keeping North Carolina moving. More than 99% of state roads closed or impacted by Hurricane Helene have been reopened. In recent weeks, back-to-back storms have damaged N.C. 12 on Pea Island. Following the first storm in late September, NCDOT Ferry Division crews launched an emergency ferry to safely transport people on and off the Outer Banks. Highway crews were able to restore the road days ahead of schedule. Now, following a second storm and another activation of the emergency ferry, Governor Stein has declared a state of emergency in Dare and Hyde counties and called on the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to grant emergency relief supporting the repair of N.C. 12.