CHAPEL HILL – Triangle Transit General Manager David King said that he questions the validity of recent criticism directed toward the proposed Durham-Orange light rail. He said he is confident about the need for the light rail, given the projected population growth for the area in the decades to come.

The 17-mile-rail line would begin at Alston Ave. near North Carolina Central’s Campus and end at UNC Hospitals. The track would generally follow the North Carolina Railroad Corridor, which is 15-501, I-40, and NC 54.

A panel of experts with backgrounds in transportation, engineering and urban planning recently appeared before Wake County Commissioners.

The Chapel Hill News reported that the experts said that the region lacks the population density, traffic congestion and ridership for a light rail. The experts acknowledged by phone that they hadn’t spent as much time reviewing information about the Orange-Durham light rail plan. However, they said it was difficult to justify the need for the $1.4 billion project based on what they reviewed in the regional financial data.

King said he believed the men weren’t well-versed in the matters concerning Orange and Durham Counties. He added that the light rail is outside the realm of Wake County.

“The point is that someone asked a question about Durham and Orange, and these folks [the three experts] declined to comment because that is not what they had come prepared to talk about,” King said. “Those three folks were here to talk about Wake County.”

Though critics have said that the area is not dense enough to require a light rail system, King said that he believed the community should think of the necessity for the project in terms of growth, citing the population increase that has occurred in the area since the 1990s.

Between 2020 and 2030, Orange and Durham Counties are projected to grow at a rate of 13.3 percent, according to the N.C. Office of State Budget and Management.

“This system is not aiming at where we are today but where we will be 12, 20 and 30 years from now,” he stated.

King said he believed that having a light rail option would appeal to environmentally-conscious commuters as well.

There is already substantial bus ridership between Orange and Durham Counties, King explained, which he believed would get an improved transportation experience with light rail.

“70,000 rides a day are already occurring on the bus system. A lot of those are in this corridor will shift to light rail once that system opens.”

King added that travel between the two areas is constant, whereas other cities see heavy traffic in one direction during the morning and vice versa at night.

Triangle Transit is moving forward with applying for federal funding. The first phase of the process is submitting an application to the Federal Transit Administration by December 20 for authorization to proceed into the environment planning phase. King anticipates to hear a decision in 45 days or less.

Related Stories
‹
CH Town Council 'Wonk' Praises Federal Light Rail Approval
Chapel Hill Town Council member Ed Harrison says the Federal Transportation Administration’s approval of the Durham-Orange Light Rail plan clears a major hurdle for the project.
Train Station Project in Hillsborough Advances with Agreement
Hillsborough’s Board of Commissioners recently passed an interlocal agreement to advance a seven-year project of building a train station just outside of downtown. When done, it could bring a passenger line stop to Orange County. The idea of bringing a train station to Hillsborough began years ago when residents who commuted to Greensboro gathered thousands […]
Top Stories of 2019: Durham-Orange Light Rail Project Shut Down
Chapelboro.com is re-publishing some of the top stories that impacted our community in 2019. These were stories that affected Chapel Hill, Carrboro and the rest of our local area. On March 27, GoTriangle CEO and president Jeff Mann asked the transit authority’s Board of Trustees to recommend to the transit partners to discontinue work on the […]
Transit, Stormwater Among Concerns for Redevelopment of University Place in Chapel Hill
Ownership of the University Place mall continued to receive their first round of feedback on concept plans of a reimagining of the property. The Chapel Hill Town Council shared their impressions of the initial designs last week. The council’s review of the concept plans came just eight days after Ram Realty, the ownership group of […]
Orange County Formally Votes to End Light Rail
The Orange County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday night at times felt like a funeral service for the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit project. Commissioners gave, in their own words, a “post-mortem” on the light rail, after which the commissioners unanimously voted to discontinue work on the project. This is one step in a series […]
Social Media Reacts to Stunning Durham-Orange Light Rail Project Decision
On March 27, the Durham-Orange Light Rail project seemingly met its end when GoTriangle announced they would be recommending to transit partners to discontinue work on the project. The project, which has been in discussions for roughly two decades, hit a major impasse in February when Duke University did not agree to sign a cooperative […]
GoTriangle Exploring Light Rail Future Without Duke Cooperative Agreement
GoTriangle officials told Orange County Commissioners on Tuesday night that the organization was so close to completing the engineering phase of the Durham – Orange Light Rail Transit project that construction beginning to move private utilities could being late this calendar year, before picking up in earnest in 2020. But that is assuming the light […]
Duke Rejects Mediation Offer for Light Rail Decision
Duke University has rejected an offer from GoTriangle to enter into mediation over the next four to six weeks to work out remaining differences regarding the Durham – Orange Light Rail transit project. “Having concluded that your proposed DOLRT route down Erwin Road is simply not workable, we do not see any value in entering […]
GoTriangle Invites Duke to Mediation Over Light Rail Concerns
Transit officials are hoping one last olive branch can get the Durham – Orange Light Rail transit project back on track. GoTriangle released a letter on Tuesday that was sent to Duke University president Vincent Price on Monday. The letter comes after Duke announced it would not enter into a cooperative agreement with the transit […]
Duke Won't Sign Light Rail Deal with GoTriangle
Just as the Durham – Orange Light Rail Transit project was nearing funding deadlines that could have eventually brought the long-discussed plan to fruition, it now appears a fatal blow may have been delivered to the project. Duke University said Wednesday it will not sign a cooperative agreement with the regional transit authority GoTriangle to […]
›