Title
Proposed D-O LRT Project Changes (20 minutes)
Danny Rogers, GoTriangle
Narrative
In the updates to the Durham County Transit Plan and Orange County Transit Plan approved in April 2017, all parties agreed that any additions or deletions of stations along the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit (D-O LRT) Project would be subject to the approval of both county governing boards, the DCHC MPO Board, and the GoTriangle Board of Trustees (Durham County Transit Plan § 4.4.4.1, Orange County Transit Plan § 4.6.4.1). GoTriangle is requesting two actions from the DCHC MPO Board: 1) approval for a new station between Blackwell and Mangum streets in Durham, and 2) approval of proposed changes to the location of the Gateway station in Chapel Hill.
In their comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), both the City of Durham and the Durham County Board of Commissioners requested that GoTriangle carefully evaluate the feasibility of a City Center Station between Blackwell and Mangum streets along Pettigrew Street during the project’s Engineering Phase. In response to these comments, in the Combined Final Environmental Impact Statement Record of Decision (FEIS/ROD), GoTriangle committed to continuing its work with Durham to evaluate the feasibility of a City Center Station during the Engineering Phase. With a reduction in platform length made possible by a move to two-car platforms, GoTriangle determined that a station platform could feasibly fit between Blackwell and Mangum Streets and without resulting in a potential impact to the historic Bull Durham building.
The purpose of the proposed Blackwell/Mangum Street Station is to offer more direct access to the city center of downtown Durham and event-based destinations in and around the American Tobacco campus, including the Durham Performing Arts Center and Durham Bulls Athletic Park
The cost estimate for the proposed additional station between Blackwell and Mangum streets is approximately $2.5 million i...
Click here for full text