Durham will spend $1.1 billion on transit by 2040. Here’s where that money will go.
The last time Durham County updated its public transit plan, in 2017, about 85% of local taxes and fees for transit were earmarked for rail, mostly for the Durham-Orange Light Rail line.
With the failure of that project in 2019, the latest transit plan, now up for public review, puts much more emphasis on improving local bus service.
The county expects to spend more than $1.1 billion on transit between now and 2040, much of it revenue from a half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2011. Under the revised transit plan, about 73% of that money will go toward making buses more convenient and easier to use, while 27% is devoted to Durham’s share of a potential regional commuter-rail system.
The shift from rail to bus reflects the will of residents, said Aaron Cain, planning manager for the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization, which guides transportation spending in the western Triangle.
“We definitely heard from the public that there should be an emphasis on current transit riders and their current needs in the local and regional bus system,” Cain said in an interview. “So we have endeavored to make sure that we can fund as many of those improvements as we can while still providing funds for a potential commuter-rail system as well.”
Since voters approved the sales tax in 2011, Durham has spent about $173 million on transit projects, with the largest share, $126 million, going toward the failed light-rail line. (Orange County kicked in $31 million.)
Most of the rest went to improving local bus service, by increasing frequency on some routes and improving bus stops. The public wants more of that, Cain said.
Bus projects in the revised plan include:
▪ Expanding and overhauling Durham Station, the downtown bus hub, with more seating, restrooms and boarding bays. The city received a $10.8 million federal grant to cover 80% of the expected cost. Construction is scheduled to begin next year.
▪ Improving bus stops throughout the county at a rate of about 75 per year. Upgrades include new shelters, benches and lighting and better sidewalk connections.
▪ Increasing bus frequency, to every 15 minutes on the busiest routes and to a minimum of 30 minutes on all routes by 2027.
▪ New routes, including crosstown routes that don’t require riders to pass through Durham Station. A crosstown route between Duke Regional Hospital and the VA Medical Center is scheduled to begin within a year, with a new route between East Durham and N.C. Central University to come by 2027.
Commuter rail details still to come
The Durham Transit Plan also calls for the county to contribute to the design and construction of a regional commuter-rail system.
GoTriangle is still putting together a proposal for the commuter-rail system, so the details are unsettled. Trains would follow the existing North Carolina Railroad line from the west side of Durham through Research Triangle Park, Morrisville, Cary and Raleigh to either Garner or Clayton.
Local governments must approve the commuter rail project before construction begins. If they don’t, Durham will have to adjust its transit priorities again, Cain said.
“If at some future point a decision is made to no longer pursue the commuter rail project, then we’ll regroup and look at what other opportunities may be available,” he said.
The public can review the proposed Durham Transit Plan updates and fill out a survey at engagedurham.com/durham-county-transit-plan/. There will also be an open house on Thursday, July 28, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Durham Station, 515 West Pettigrew St., where staff from the city, county, GoDurham, GoTriangle and the metropolitan planning organization will hear from residents.
Durham County commissioners and the boards of GoTriangle and the metropolitan planning organization are expected to decide whether to approve the plan this fall.
This story was originally published July 18, 2022 at 12:02 PM with the headline "Durham will spend $1.1 billion on transit by 2040. Here’s where that money will go.."
