Research Triangle Park N.C. – M. Carter Worthy has been elected Chair of the Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) Board of Trustees. Worthy, who has served on the board since 2001 representing the City of Raleigh, succeeds William G. Smith of Durham. Board members also elected Alice Gordon of Orange County, Vice-Chair; W. Lewis Hannah Jr. of Wake County, Secretary; and Bill Strom of Chapel Hill, Treasurer. Officers serve one-year terms. Ten TTA board members are appointed by city, county and town boards in Durham, Orange and Wake counties. Three members are appointed by the NC Secretary of Transportation.

Worthy has long been an advocate for securing long range solutions to the Triangle’s mobility needs. “The work of the TTA is an important, critical component of our future quality of life here,” she says. “Our consolidated bus service will provide easier, more efficient service for our customers and our regional rail system will increase transportation options and drive new tax base growth in our most strategic locations--like our downtowns and the RTP.”

Worthy says this is a very important time for TTA. “I believe 2005 will be a watershed year for our regional rail project. We expect to have our first groundbreaking, acquire our station locations and obtain final federal approval for our funding plan.” Worthy’s first board meeting as Chairman will be October 27, 2004.

Worthy owns a commercial real estate firm and is an active community volunteer. In addition to her work on the TTA Board, she has served as chair of the Wake Education Partnership, and on the Boards of the New Schools Project, the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Raleigh Alliance. In addition, she served as co-chair of the Fayetteville Street Visioning Committee and the 2003 Artsplosure Jazz Festival. Recently, she was named a recipient of the “2004 Women in Business Award” by the Triangle Business Journal.

TTA is a regional public transportation provider, offering a wide variety of transit and vanpool services to North Carolina's greater Triangle Region and outlying counties. Bus service is available to Apex, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Garner, RDU International Airport, RTP and Raleigh. The Triangle Transit Authority also provides commuter resources and hosts GoTriangle.org, the new on-line resource for the public transportation information in the Triangle. TTA plans to implement a rail transit system with stations connecting Durham, RTP, Cary and Raleigh, with shuttles linking RDU International Airport and RTP. The rail transit system is expected to be operational in 2008. For more information, visit www.rideTTA.org or call (919) 549-9999.