This Week at NCDOT: Introduce a Girl to Engineering and Watch for Me Partners


The following are highlights from this week at the N.C. Department of Transportation. The stories below are also featured in NCDOT Now, the department’s weekly newscast.

Introduce a Girl to Engineering

As North Carolina’s transportation needs continue to increase, so does the need for more qualified and skilled engineers who can help ensure our state keeps moving forward.

Women make up just 12 percent of engineers in the United States. Seeing this gap, the department partnered with Women’s Transportation Seminars-Raleigh to host “Introduce a Girl to Engineering.”

During this day-long opportunity, high school aged girls heard from NCDOT engineers about their daily duties, necessary job skills and what the future of women in engineering could look like. Students also participated in hands-on activities such as designing highway interchanges and group knowledge quizzes.

Watch for Me Partners

To improve bicycle and pedestrian safety in our state, the department partners with communities from the mountains to the coast as part of Watch for Me NC. This is a comprehensive statewide safety campaign aimed at reducing bicycle and pedestrian crashes and fatalities.

The following new partners have been selected for 2018:
•    Alexander County
•    Clayton (Johnston County)
•    Fayetteville (Cumberland County)
•    Forest City (Rutherford County)
•    Franklin (Macon County)
•    Hendersonville (Henderson County)
•    Spindale (Rutherford County)

As campaign partners, these communities will receive printed materials and media advertisements to help improve public awareness for bicycle and pedestrian safety, as well as specialized police officer training.

Raleigh Union Station Dedication

Raleigh’s new Union Station, expected to open in late May, was dedicated this week. The new station will replace the existing one that serves NC By Train passenger rail customers.

To view schedules for all trains that will change or to purchase tickets for the fourth daily round trip between Charlotte and Raleigh, both which start June 4visit NCByTrain.org.

For more information about NCDOT Now, contact the NCDOT Communications Office at (919) 707-2660. Additional news stories from throughout the week can be found on NCDOT.gov.