Durham city council got an update last week on the possible routes, funding, and implementation for a Central Durham Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.
Since announcing the project in July, the transportation department has updated the proposal with suggestions for alternative routes around Ninth Street on the west side and Holloway Street to the east that would provide the fastest, most efficient service for riders.
The five-mile route would be a combination of existing GoDurham bus routes providing public transit access to an estimated 50,000 residents commuting to and from an estimated 10,000 jobs, including major employers like Duke Hospital. Sean Egan, Durham’s transportation director, told council members during their work session Thursday that the proposed service also represents a “critical link” in the growing network of BRT projects throughout the Triangle.
The design is expected to be finalized in 2029, with construction completed by 2031 and services running in 2032. Following a feasibility study, the transportation department now estimates that the total cost, from design to construction, will be about $150 million, roughly $31 million per mile.
To facilitate the bus system, the city will have to invest in new vehicles, upgraded stations, BRT priority lanes and traffic signal configurations that keep the buses, well, rapid, as well as a major transit center at the Village shopping district. The cost estimate also includes design and engineering needs. The project does qualify for funding from the Federal Transit Administration’s Small Starts program, Egan said, which could cover up to 50 percent of project costs. The transportation department received letters of support from the North Carolina Department of Transportation, Duke University and GoTriangle to bolster its bid for federal funding.
The Central Durham BRT would run through much of central Durham and link a number of destinations including Duke Hospital and the Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Duke Central Campus, Ninth Street, the downtown Durham Station, the main library downtown, Holton Career and Resource Center, and the Wellons Village shopping center in East Durham.
Durham’s population has grown by nearly a hundred thousand people in the last 25 years, bringing with it a higher volume of traffic for commuters to wrestle with, and a need for alternative transportation options. GoDurham has seen a 42 percent increase in ridership since 2022, marking the highest ridership in the organization’s history. But travel time is still a barrier for some looking to adopt public transit into their commuting routine. Respondents to a preliminary survey conducted by the transportation department emphasized a “strong desire” for 7 to10 minute travel times, real-time tracking, and signal priority for buses, all to improve speed and reliability.
In addition to the city’s Central Durham BRT plan, Durham County is taking a long-range look at developing other potential corridors for BRT-level service. Improvements to local bus service were priorities identified in the 2023 Durham Transit Plan. The plan’s development and implementation are funded by the half-cent transit sales tax that was passed in 2011.
Both the city and county are taking community input on their bus rapid transit plans.
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