For Immediate Release
Contact: Juan Carlos Erickson, 919-485-7569
Research Triangle Park, NC (March 31, 2017) – Residents of Orange and Durham counties will have multiple opportunities over the next several weeks to comment on updated transit plans that include improved bus services as well as a new light rail system offering 18 stops between UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill and N.C. Central University in Durham.
Residents can drop in any time between 5 and 7 p.m. to learn more about the plans and comment during these public workshops:
- Monday, April 10, Durham Station, 515 W. Pettigrew St., Durham 27701
- Tuesday, April 11, Orange County West Campus Office Building, 131 Margaret Lane, Hillsborough 27278
- Wednesday, April 12, GoTriangle, 4600 Emperor Blvd., Durham 27703
- Thursday, April 13, Chapel Hill Town Hall, 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill 27514
During these public hearings, residents can speak after signing up at the beginning of the meetings:
- Tuesday, April 11, 7 p.m., Durham County Board of Commissioners, Durham County Administrative Complex, 200 E. Main Street, Durham, NC 27701
- Wednesday, April 12, 9 a.m., Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Board, City Hall, 101 City Hall Plaza, Durham 27701
- Tuesday, April 18, 7 p.m., Orange County Board of Commissioners, Southern Human Services Center, 2501 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill 27514
In February, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) asked that Durham and Orange counties, the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC) and GoTriangle update the transit plans by April 30 to show that at least 15 percent of the total light rail project funding will come from dedicated local transit money. The FTA is waiting on the updated information to determine whether the light rail project in Durham and Orange counties can move into the engineering phase and be eligible for a federal investment of more than $1 billion.
County managers, municipal leaders, GoTriangle, the DCHC and their staff members are revising the plans and a cost-share agreement between the counties and are soliciting public input. Residents can find the updated plans online at ourtransitfuture.com.
In addition to the public meetings, residents can attend presentations that GoTriangle will give to local government officials. Those meetings will be:
- Monday, April 3, 9 a.m., Durham County Board of Commissioners, Durham County Administrative Complex, 200 E. Main St., Durham 27701
- Tuesday, April 4, 7:30 p.m., Carrboro Town Hall, 301 W. Main St., Carrboro 27510
- Monday, April 10, 7 p.m., Hillsborough Town Barn, 101 E. Orange St., Hillsborough 27278
- Wednesday, April 12, 6:30 p.m., Chapel Hill Public Library, 100 Library Drive, Chapel Hill 27514
- Tuesday, April 18, 7 p.m., Orange County Board of Commissioners, Southern Human Services Center, 2501 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill 27514
- Thursday, April 20, 1 p.m., Durham City Hall, 101 City Hall Plaza, Durham 27701
The county commissioners of Durham and Orange counties, members of the DCHC MPO Policy Board and the GoTriangle Board of Trustees must vote on the updated plans by April 30 to meet the FTA’s deadline.
Included in the plans are:
- Expanded bus service with new and replacement vehicles.
- Improvements to bus stops, bike and pedestrian connections and other transit facilities.
- An Amtrak station in Hillsborough that will connect residents of Orange County to the Piedmont rail service, which runs between Charlotte and Raleigh four times a day, and to the Carolinian service, which runs between Charlotte and New York twice a day.
- Bus rapid transit along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Chapel Hill that will connect commuters from park-and-ride lots on Eubanks Road in the north and Southern Village in the south with downtown Chapel Hill and UNC, serving one of Chapel Hill’s busiest transit corridors.
- A 17.7-mile Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit Project that will better connect people to jobs, schools and health care providers and offer a more predictable, congestion-free trip for commuters. The line will serve three of the top 10 employers in the state, directly connect three major universities and provide direct access to UNC Hospitals, Duke Hospitals, the Durham VA Medical Center and employers, services and entertainment in downtown Durham. New development around the planned light rail stations is projected to create tens of thousands of new jobs and add $175 million annually in state and local tax revenue.
Note: This press release was updated April 3, 2017, to reflect the change listed in bold above.