Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
22 <br />September 3, 2010 <br />potential advantages must be weighed in comparison with the benefits of keeping the chosen alignment <br />within the NC 54 corridor. <br />Employment, Population, and Activity Centers <br />Figure 3 shows the 2035 employment and population projections for the traffic analysis zones within the <br />study area. These projections should generally cover all anticipated and desired development. Based <br />on aerial photography and some knowledge of the proposed developments, an order of magnitude <br />estimate of the number of employees and population within approximately % mile of the stations has <br />been determined. While several of the traffic analysis zones are quite large, in many cases the <br />development is focused in only a portion of the zone. For example, the proposed Leigh Village <br />development is clustered around a station in the southern portion of the zone, and the Meadowmont <br />and Friday Center employment is closer to NC 54, where stations are proposed. <br />The 2035 population is significantly higher for the two NC 54 alignments than for Alignment 3, and the <br />2035 employment is more than double. Therefore the NC 54 alignments strengthen the feasibility of <br />light rail transit in the Durham-Chapel Hill corridor, as this initial analysis suggests that ridership <br />generated from development within the corridor would be higher for Alignments 1 and 2. <br />Park-and-Ride Demands and Ridership <br />Park-and-ride has the potential to significantly contribute to ridership on a rail line that connects park- <br />and-ride facilities located near I-40 interchanges to UNC main campus and downtown. Currently there <br />are 1,660 park-and-ride spaces at the Friday Center on NC 54, serving primarily commuters from east of <br />Chapel Hill. These are filled to capacity on a typical weekday, and the University has identified a need <br />for more spaces in this corridor. Over time, as the Friday Center property is redeveloped, it is <br />anticipated that the current park-and-ride must be relocated closer to 1-40. One site that has been <br />studied for a large park-and-ride facility is Leigh Village where a rail station and major transfer hub <br />would be located for Alternatives 1 and 2. Initial studies have indicated along-term need (2035+) for a <br />total of over 3,500 spaces in the NC 54 corridor. Previous analysis has determined that this could <br />translate into about 8,000 daily transit riders in the corridor (both directions combined). While these <br />would be short distance trips, they would represent a significant amount of the total ridership in the <br />Durham to Chapel Hill corridor. Representatives of the planned Leigh Village development have <br />indicated a willingness to accommodate park-and-ride. <br />Studies have also identified the need for a large amount of park-and-ride in the US 15-501 corridor to <br />serve commuters from the Durham area. However, the University and Town have been unable to find <br />sites suitable for a sizable facility in the corridor, a situation that is unlikely to change. Therefore, while <br />some opportunities may arise for smaller or shared park-and-ride facilities, it is unlikely that they will <br />match the potential for park-and-ride in the NC 54 corridor. Therefore, rail alignments in the NC 54 <br />corridor, i.e. 1 and 2, will benefit to a much greater degree in terms of ridership than an alignment in the <br />US 15-501 corridor, i.e. alignment 3. <br />5 <br />