GoTriangle Hosting Open House Before Chapel Hill Votes on DOLRT Cooperative Agreement

Chapel Hill’s Town Council will consider a cooperative agreement with GoTriangle again on Wednesday night. The agreement would lay out some guidelines for work between the town and the transit organization ahead of the potential Durham – Orange Light Rail Transit project.

The agreement came before the council last week, but elected officials delayed voting on the proposal.

Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger said there were some concerns among councilmembers over the proposal.

“We need this agreement to be the best for Chapel Hill it can be,” Hemminger said in an interview last week.

Durham had a more stringent agreement with GoTriangle than what was being proposed for Chapel Hill, according to the mayor.

“So, we’re going to look to parallel a lot of what they’re doing as well,” Hemminger said of Durham’s agreement.

One difference between the impact of the light rail proposal on Chapel Hill and Durham, Hemminger said, was that the City of Durham owns some of the property in that municipality where the light rail is projected to run and some of the station areas are planned. Chapel Hill, however, does not own any of the property where a light rail stop is planned in Orange County.

Noise levels were also a concern expressed by residents last week, in particular for the Rail Operations and Maintenance Facility. The facility is in Durham’s jurisdiction, but Hemminger said the town was concerned about noise spillover affecting Chapel Hill residents.

The Durham City Council voted Monday night to approve the rezoning request that would allow the ROMF to be built in southwest Durham, if the overall project continues to move forward, according to the Durham Herald-Sun.

GoTriangle is approaching a deadline to submit plans for the project in able to remain eligible for more than $1 billion in federal funding for the nearly 18-mile light rail line.

Before the Town Council votes on the agreement at its meeting Wednesday night, GoTriangle will be hosting an open house to answer questions from residents about what is in the cooperative agreement.

The open house is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at Town Hall before the council meeting at 7 p.m.

‹

One Week: Exploring Our 'Hometowns'

Exploring our ‘hometowns’ is an activity that has been continually present in my life thus far. As a 16-year-old, I have accumulated a sense of the culture of our hometown communities as well as what they have to offer; to enumerate: where to grab a bite to eat, fun activities, places to shop and must-see […]

Michael Parker Will Not Seek Third Term on Chapel Hill Town Council

One of the Chapel Hill Town Council’s more experienced members will not on the ballot again this fall. Michael Parker shared with the community Wednesday morning that he will not be seeking a third term for his council seat. He becomes the first sitting member of the council to announce their plans on whether to […]

Chapel Hill Given 'Huge Shock' by Potential Redesign of U.S. 15-501 Exchange

Last week, the Department of Transportation sent the Town of Chapel Hill a concept design to change U.S. 15-501 exchange with Interstate 40.

Orange County Sets Public Hearing for Updates to Transit Plan

Ten years ago, Orange County voters approved a new half-cent sales tax to go toward a variety of transit projects and long-term expansion of connectivity through the county. As part of the measure, the county government created a long-term Transit Plan to help guide elected officials and staff on how to use those funds. Now, […]

Hillsborough: Transit Visions + Occaneechei Rededication

Hillsborough Mayor Jenn Weaver joins 97.9 The Hill's Brighton McConnell on Tuesday, April 19, to share some recent news from around the town government.

NC 54 Corridor Study Presented to Carrboro's Board of Aldermen

Carrboro’s Board of Aldermen recently heard a presentation about a study done on the NC 54 West Corridor between Carrboro and Graham. The study, which was funded by the local Metropolitan Planning Organization, focused on the stretch of NC 54 starting in Graham and moving east to Carrboro’s West Main Street. It stemmed from a […]

Durham - Orange Light Rail 'On Life Support' After Duke Decision

GoTriangle officials are scrambling to try to find a way forward for the Durham – Orange Light Rail Transit project after Duke University might have dealt the final blow to the proposal. “I’d say we’re on life support. But, until we’ve finished exploring what all of our options are, we can’t say that it’s completely […]

Orange County Delays Light Rail Finance Review as Duke's Deadline Looms

At last week’s Orange County commissioners meeting, officials discussed hiring a third-party consulting firm to review the financial plan for the proposed Durham-Orange Light Rail transit project connecting Chapel Hill and Durham. The vote eventually went 4-2 against the third-party review after prolonged discussion. It just wasn’t the right time, chair of the commissioners Penny […]

Subcontractor for North Carolina Transit Project Dropped

Officials of a North Carolina light-rail transit project have dropped a consultant who pleaded guilty in September to a fraud charge linked to his work as chief executive of an Arizona mass transit system. The News & Observer of Raleigh reports the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit project was using Stephen Banta, who served as chief executive […]

GoTriangle Hosting Open House Before Chapel Hill Votes on DOLRT Cooperative Agreement

Chapel Hill’s Town Council will consider a cooperative agreement with GoTriangle again on Wednesday night. The agreement would lay out some guidelines for work between the town and the transit organization ahead of the potential Durham – Orange Light Rail Transit project. The agreement came before the council last week, but elected officials delayed voting […]

›