The Orange County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the addition of a station for the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit Project at Blackwell and Mangum Streets in Downtown Durham.

The new light rail station will be located along Pettigrew Street near Durham Performing Arts Center, the Durham Bulls Athletic Park and American Tobacco campus.

According to Go Triangle’s government affairs manager Matthew Clark, all expected expenses for the project are contained within the project budget, and any changes will have to be brought before the boards for Orange County, Durham County, the Durham Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization and Go Triangle for approval.

“During the engineering phase of the project, we iron out the details of design such that we move from 30 percent of design to near 100 percent design so that we’re ready for the next phase which is construction. As we iron out those details, some will cost money and some will save money. All are contained within the budget for the capital cost of the project, which is set upon entry into engineering at around $2.47 billion,” said Clark. The total cost of the project, including financing, comes in at an estimated $3.3 billion.

According to Clark, adding the station was previously not possible due to the proposed use of three-car platforms that require the tracks to widen upon reaching the station.

The widening of the tracks would have affected the historic building the Blackwell Factory, which Clark referred to as the Old Bull Building.

“Our board has approved a move from three-car to two-car platforms, which, by the way, saves us $22 million. And that allows the tracks to widen a little bit later and miss the Old Bull Building so that there’s no impact to that historic property,” said Clark.

At the meeting, Clark also went over the additional savings and projected expenses for the project. “There was a Patterson Place change that cost about $4 million, Gateway is roughly $8 million, there was a change at University Drive that I believe saved about $9 million and then there’s the addition of the Blackwell Mangum station which adds about $2.5 million.”

Orange County Commissioner Earl McKee, who has opposed the project throughout the process, says he applauds the addition of the stops that are providing access to critical areas.

“This additional station for me is beneficial for service,” said McKee. “It’s a recognition that service to a downtown urban area is critical, outside of the service to the two universities. This downtown service is a major factor of what, if this comes to fruition, will make it work.”

The Durham Board of Commissioners, the Metropolitan Planning Organization and Go Triangle boards all joined Orange County in voting last week to approve the new station.

Related Stories
‹
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 […]
›