RALEIGH – The Triangle may not be getting a light rail, but there’s a new alternative plan in the works.

A year after pulling the plug on the Durham-Orange light rail project, transit officials are now proposing the Freeway and Street-based Transit (FAST) network as a “scalable approach” to transforming the region’s roadways into “multimodal corridors.”

And by all accounts, it’s a winner with some Triangle business executives.

“The FAST network concept has real potential for improving accessibility and equity across the entire Triangle region,” said Julia Wright, local government and economic development manager with Dominion Energy.

Added Jay Irby, an executive with First Citizens Bank: “[It] really leverages existing investment in highways, and it will help us be more competitive.”

They were speaking as part of a “virtual breakfast” panel discussion on Tuesday morning to discuss the cooperative study put forward by the Regional Transportation Alliance business coalition (RTA), GoTriangle, and the NC Department of Transportation (NCdot) last month. Both serve on RTA’s board.

Funded by a 50/50 public-private partnership, the study by consultant team VHB outlined immediate low-cost transit options for high-impacted freeways and streets like Six Forks Road and Capital Boulevard.

Among them: traffic signal priority, “floating bus stops,” queue jump lanes, enhanced access, RED Bus Lanes, and off-board fare payments.

The study also includes a 2025 FAST plan that would capitalize on ongoing and future highways projects, such as the scheduled five bus rapid transit lines and commuter rail, serving RTP and RDU Airport.

Proposed future FAST freeway and street corridors also include routes from Raleigh to Garner and Clayton, and Cary to Morrisville and RTP.

“The key phrase is ‘network benefits’ because everything builds on everything else,” said RTA’s executive director Joe Milazzo II. “We’re going to have these five bus rapid transit lines, and now we’re going to link to that.”

Even better, he added, many of these changes can happen now.

“[It’s about] taking advantage of the network we already have, at a time of somewhat limited resources, and putting together some simple deliverable solutions that gets the mass transit moving.”

Research Triangle Foundation’s CEO Scott Levitan, who also sat on the panel, applauded the effort: “I’m just so pleased that RTA, GoTriangle and NCdot have taken a database approach to this study. That’s really what what we have to do to look at all of the options we have for regional mobility.”

The study partners are opening it up to the public for comments until August 31 via FAST@letsgetmoving.org.

Separately, the panel also reviewed initial findings of a Zero Fare transit pilot expansion study. Options include seven-days zero far for GoCary, as well as zero fare weekends for GoRaleigh, GoDurham, GoTriangle. Chapel Hill Transit already runs a zero fare program.

RTA’s Milazzo said he supported the pilot programs because it provided the opportunity to increase ridership by 30 percent and only cost one percent of agency operating revenue for a six-month weekend pilot.

RTA is requesting feedback from members at zerofare@letsgetmoving.org.

After failed light rail project, GoTriangle pitches new ‘FAST’ street, freeway-based network