MORRISVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) – With Apple bringing more jobs and people to Research Triangle Park, Morrisville city officials are calling for more funding from the state and federal governments to improve infrastructure in the city.
In April, Apple announced the company would be building a new campus in RTP that would bring 3,000 jobs to the area.
The expansion is also expected to bring more traffic to already congested roads in Morrisville.
Mayor T.J. Cawley walked CBS 17 through the city on Friday and showed how busy the intersection of N.C. 54 and Morrisville-Carpenter Road is. He said traffic backs up at any hour of the day.
With thousands of more people expected to move to Morrisville, he said the roads will only get more congested.
Cawley said that Morrisville needs to add more lanes to N.C. 54.
“We need a second lane going each direction to move our traffic along a little bit better,” Cawley said.
He added that they also want to add bike and pedestrian lanes along N.C. 54. It is part of the city’s $74 million infrastructure plan.
But with a budget of only $40 million a year, Cawley said the city needs help from the federal government to make the improvements.
Cawley is calling on Congress to pass a $715 billion transportation bill that could help fund Morrisville’s infrastructure projects.
The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday and is now headed to the Senate. Cawley said the sooner it passes, the sooner they can obtain the funds and start working on widening the roads.
“We’ve done everything we can with our own funds,” Cawley said. “The infrastructure is so necessary here in Morrisville and the entire region.”
CBS 17 asked Cawley if Apple has offered to pay for any of the infrastructure projects in Morrisville, but the mayor said so far Apple has not informed him of any Morrisville specific infrastructure funds.
CBS 17 reached out to Apple for an update on the construction plan for the campus and when jobs could come to RTP. The company has not yet responded.
