Williams unanimously re-elected chair of rural transportation planning organization

WILMINGTON, N.C. – The Cape Fear Rural Transportation Planning Organization (RPO) Transportation Advisory Committee (RTAC) elected its officers for 2026 at its Feb. 13 meeting.  Brunswick County Commissioner Frank Williams, who has served as Chair since 2014, was unanimously re-elected, and Boiling Spring Lakes Mayor Jeff Winecoff was unanimously elected Vice Chair. Winecoff replaces Whiteville Mayor Terry Mann, who had served as Vice Chair since 2014 and will remain on the committee as a Columbus County municipal representative.

The Cape Fear RPO covers rural portions of Brunswick and Pender Counties and all of Columbus County and serves as the intergovernmental organization for local elected officials, the North Carolina Department of Transportation and residents of the region to work cooperatively to address rural transportation issues.  The Rural Transportation Advisory Committee (RTAC) is the RPO’s advisory board and is comprised of elected officials from Brunswick, Columbus and Pender Counties.

“Serving as RTAC Chair for the past 12 years has underscored the importance of having a strong voice for rural transportation in southeastern North Carolina,” said Williams.  “As areas in our state west of I-95 become increasingly urbanized, it is important for those of us who live in eastern North Carolina to make our voices heard.  Over the past decade, the RPO has prioritized a number of key projects that are now funded and under construction, including the Highway 211 widening project. I look forward to working with Vice Chairman Winecoff, the other members of the committee, staff, elected leaders in the communities we represent and the NCDOT to ensure that southeastern North Carolina’s rural transportation needs and priorities are heard. I’m also grateful to Mayor Mann for his service as Vice Chair for the past 12 years.”

The Cape Fear Rural Transportation Planning Organization (RPO) has successfully submitted a number of key projects that were later funded through the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Prioritization Process, including widening Highway 211 from Southport to Midway Road. According to information provided by NCDOT, this is the largest transportation contract awarded in Brunswick County history. Widening the remaining portions of Highway 211 remains a top RTAC priority in Brunswick County.

According to the N.C. Department of Transportation, in 2000 the State of North Carolina recognized the need for more coordinated transportation planning in rural North Carolina areas not within a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) by enacting Chapter 136, Article 17, Section 136-210-213 of the General Statutes. This provided for the development of Rural Transportation Planning Organizations (RPOs). There are 18 Rural Planning Organizations in the State. 

Although organized and tasked in a manner very similar to MPO’s, RPOs are grounded in state law rather than federal, and are intended to address and improve rural area transportation planning processes. RPOs assist the North Carolina Department of Transportation by carrying the following four core duties:

• Develop, in cooperation with the NCDOT, comprehensive transportation plans.
• Provide a forum for public participation in the transportation planning process.
• Develop and prioritize projects that the organization believes should be included in the State’s Transportation Improvement Program.
• Provide transportation-related information to local governments and other interested organizations and persons.

Administrative support for the Cape Fear RPO is provided by the Cape Fear Council of Governments (COG).