Project Overview

The Wake BRT: Southern Corridor will connect downtown Raleigh and Rupert Road in Garner. The Southern Corridor will be approximately 5 miles of BRT service, with portions of the route operating in dedicated bus lanes. The projects will also include enhanced stations and transit signal priority at signalized intersections.



In 2016, the Wake Transit Plan identified four BRT corridors for implementation by 2027. The Southern Corridor connecting downtown Raleigh and Garner was one of the corridors identified. The Southern Corridor was further evaluated in both the Southern Gateway Corridor Study (SGCS) completed in 2017 and the Wake Transit Plan Major Investment Study (MIS) completed in 2018.

Studies and Decisions

The planning phase of the project began in 2019 with work to help select the preferred route. From February to March of 2020, public engagement kick-off meetings were held to gather feedback on alternatives for the Southern Corridor. Two meetings were held, one in Raleigh and one in Garner, and a survey was published asking for feedback on BRT features, priorities and popular destinations along the corridor. Results from the survey are available.



In October 2020, the City of Raleigh endorsed S. Wilmington St. as the preferred route for the northern section of the Southern Corridor. In April 2021, the Wilmington Extension was endorsed as the preferred route for the southern section of the corridor by City Council and was adopted by CAMPO in June of 2021. 

The preliminary design phase (0 to 30 percent) for the Southern Corridor BRT has been completed, and the project has now entered final design (30 to 100 percent). The corridor is approximately 5 miles. Buses along it will operate in both dedicated transit lanes and mixed traffic between GoRaleigh Station in Downtown Raleigh, and North South Station and Walmart in Garner. The exact location and number of BRT stations along the corridor will be finalized at the end of the 60%  design phase.

The Southern Corridor BRT project reached the 10% design milestone in Fall of 2023 and completed the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Capital Improvements Grants (CIG) Small Starts Ratings Submission at the end of August 2022. The project received a “Medium High” rating from the FTA in March of 2023.

Current Activity

• Continue coordination with Town of Garner.
• Continue final design work (30 to 100 percent), including BRT lanes in the roadway, known as runningways, and station locations.
• Continue National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation (‘Categorial Exclusion’ finding expected by end of 2025)
• Continue coordination with Federal Transit Administration through the Capital Investment Grant process

• The next round of public engagement is anticipated in Fall 2025 and will include updated design plans for the Southern Corridor BRT project.
• Environmental documentation, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has been completed, and thus the project team is now authorized to hold conversations with property owners along the corridor about property acquisition and other topics.

Under federal guidelines, property acquisition and purchasing cannot begin until work prescribed under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has been completed and a ‘class of action’ determination has been made. 

The environmental documentation has been completed, with the project being categorized as a Documented Categorical Exclusion (DCE). This means that no further environmental work (such as an Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement) is required, and discussions with property owners along the corridor – about topics such as property acquisition or easements – may begin. 

Phase details coming soon.