Durham unveils initial bus rapid transit plans
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Photo: City of Durham
Following in the footsteps of Raleigh and Chapel Hill, Durham has unveiled initial plans for adding a bus rapid transit line through the center of the city.
Why it matters: With dreams of light rail and commuter rail across the Triangle seemingly quashed, officials in the region have increasingly turned their eyes toward bus rapid transit as a way to improve transit options.
- Bus rapid transit is cheaper than rail and similar to traditional bus service, but provides bus-only lanes and preferred traffic lights to improve speed, increases frequency and adds larger stations.
- Plus, it aims to reduce car usage, and it can be integrated into existing infrastructure.
Driving the news: The initial sketch of Durham's BRT plans includes a 7-mile route, stretching from Duke University Hospital on the west side of the city, through downtown and onto the Wellons Village shopping center in East Durham.
- Importantly, BRT would follow the most popular routes already existing for GoDurham, which has the second most ridership of any bus system in the state, according to Sean Egan, director of Durham's transportation department.
- Buses going from East Durham to downtown and downtown to the hospital already travel in 15-minute intervals and are often crowded, Egan said.
- The city is asking residents for feedback on the plans here.
The other side: There has been some opposition to BRT in North Carolina, with some residents in Raleigh concerned over its potential to cause gentrification.
- In Charlotte, surveyed residents have opposed it over costs and a dislike of buses compared to light rail.
Reality check: Durham's plans, which took about a year to draft, are still in the earliest stages and remain years away from breaking ground, like Raleigh is set to do in the coming weeks.
- These initial plans are part of a feasibility study designed to see how well an application would score for federal funding.
- Egan believes it would score well since it would provide service to large job centers, as well as economic development opportunities around Wellons Village.
- But at the same time, Egan noted, there are many projects already in the federal pipeline ahead of Durham, and it's unclear if scoring criteria for funding will change under the Trump administration.
Zoom in: Part of the initial design process is built around the idea that Durham's BRT line might have to be completely locally funded, Egan said, through local partners and the transit tax county residents pay.
- An estimate of what the BRT line would cost is not yet known, but consultants the city worked with are expected to share some initial estimates at a Raleigh Transit Alliance meeting on Aug. 8. Raleigh's New Bern Avenue line is estimated to cost $96 million.
What they're saying: "We would love to get the federal funding, and we're continuing to pursue that," Egan said. "But we want to keep the project in a range where it could be advanced with either local or federal support."