Chapel Hill Considering Adding Bus-Only Lane On MLK

The Chapel Hill Town Council approved a study that could be the first step to major changes along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

The study will look at a travel corridor for buses between MLK, South Columbia Street and portions of 15-501.

“Things don’t always work well in that corridor,” said transit director Brian Litchfield. “Accidents occur, people try to make strange turning movements and what happens to our 19 buses is they get stacked up behind each other.”

Photo via Town of Chapel Hill

To help solve this problem, the transit department offered three suggestions. Each suggestion includes having one traffic lane dedicated solely to bus use.

The least expensive option, estimated at $96.6 million is to convert one existing lane into this bus lane.

The other two options, both estimated around $105 million, will involve creating a new lane. One plan places the lane in the center of the road and the other places it on the outside.

“When we get down to the peak-hour traffic delay, you’ll see the first alternative results in slightly higher delays,” said Julia Suprock from AECOM Technology Corporation. “If you convert lanes that tends to result in slightly higher traffic congestion, whereas if you construct a lane you’re not affecting existing capacities.”

The new route would have a bus come up approximately every seven minutes.

Chapel Hill would also add 12 new buses to their fleet, something that has become a concern in recent years.

Photo via Town of Chapel Hill

“We’re talking about providing service that’s arriving every seven minutes or better,” Litchfield said. “It changes who’s using that system. Anyone that’s traveling within that corridor can say ‘wow I can go out and use this bus and I don’t have to think about where it’s going or whether it’s going to be on time.”

Litchfield said if everything goes smoothly, between the report and the engineering, the town could move towards construction of the project in four to five years.

“That’s a perfect time frame,” he said. “That assumes that while we’re doing the project development and engineering, we’ve also arranged for all of the local funds and we’ve also arranged for all of the federal funds. Most of that we have no control over.”

Litchfield said he expects the majority of the funding for the project to be from the federal government.

Depending on the plan chosen, the town is looking to get between $77 million and $85 million from the federal government, with some other money possibly coming from the state as well.

‹

Chapel Hill Planning Commissioner Jon Mitchell Discusses 2025 Town Council Candidacy

Jon Mitchell, the former chair of the Chapel Hill Planning Commission, announced that he is running for the Chapel Hill Town Council.

Chapel Hill Town Councilor Camille Berry Announces 2025 Reelection Bid

Chapel Hill Town Council member Camille Berry announced she will seek re-election. If elected, she will serve her second term.

EPA Advisor, Former Professor Louie Rivers III Announces Bid for Chapel Hill Town Council

Louie Rivers III, a social science advisor for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and former professor, announced his bid for the Chapel Hill Town Council this week. Rivers is one of six candidates who have announced bids for the four available seats on the council this fall. “Since the last presidential election, I have become […]

Chapel Hill Approves Rezoning for Greene Tract Site, Hears Next Steps for Development

The Chapel Hill Town Council is making progress on developing the Greene Tract, meeting in June to rezone part of the site. 

Chapel Hill Council Approves Multifamily Housing Project Near Durham Limits with Split Vote

The Chapel Hill Town Council recently approved a project that could bring affordable and multifamily housing to the edge of town.

Nonprofit Consultant, Artist Erik Valera to Join Race for 2025 Chapel Hill Town Council Seat

After falling short of earning election to the Chapel Hill Town Council two years ago, Erik Valera is preparing to run again.

Here Are the Orange County Local Governments' Approved Budgets, Tax Rates for 2025-26

Each of Orange County's local governments successfully approved their operating budgets and tax rates in June. Here are the highlights.

Chapel Hill Town Council's Adam Searing Not Seeking Second Term, Cites 'Heavy Lift' of Local Governing

Adam Searing, a nonprofit and health care attorney, described the Chapel Hill political climate as a major factor in his decision.

Chapel Hill Names Virginia Administrator Theodore Voorhees as New Town Manager

After a six-month search, the Town of Chapel Hill selected its next town manager on the doorstep of the new fiscal year. The Chapel Hill Town Council approved the selection and hired Theodore “Ted” Voorhees during its meeting Wednesday night, the elected body’s last before a summer break. Voorhees, the county administrator for the Orange […]

Chapel Hill Hears Update on 828 MLK Boulevard's Potential Uses, Coal Ash Remediation Options

The Chapel Hill Town Council recently heard an update on the effort to develop the 828 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard site.

›