THE IMPACTS OF COVID-19 provide an unprecedented disruption to the nation's multimodal transportation system. Traffic volumes across North Carolina's highways dropped 40-50 percent, and ridership declined sharply on transit, passenger rail, ferry systems and at airports. Less travel demand reduced transportation revenue impacting the N.C. Department of Transportation's construction program, maintenance and operational responsibilities. Short-term impacts of COVID-19 were measurable; however, long-term implications associated with changes to the economy, travel patterns and societal perspectives after a global pandemic are not predictable.

NC Moves 2050 was developed to equip NCDOT and its partners to prepare for a variety of uncertainties. Consideration of potentially disruptive technological and economic conditions and other possible developments helped inform and shape the plan's recommendations. NC Moves 2050 was not designed to foresee the changes created by a global pandemic. However, through the plan's consideration of uncertainty, it can act as a vehicle to explore policies, practices and partnerships for strengthening NCDOT's ability to respond to extreme events and make North Carolina's transportation system more resilient to future changes. The implementation of near-term strategies and actions presented in this plan are the first steps in that direction.

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