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Transitional Analysis Report of 9/24/10 <br />Purpose and Need Report of 12/9/10 <br />Volume1: Detailed Definition of Alternatives Technical Report of July 2011 prepared by <br />consultant URS prepared for Triangle Transit <br />The Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) and AA include intertwined 3 facets that are specific to <br />the Durham-Orange County Corridor and Study Area: <br />The end points of the corridor <br />The approximate alignment within the study corridor <br />The technology of the fixed guideway meaning light rapid transit (LRT) or bus rapid transit (BRT <br />high or low) and/or in some cases commuter rail (e.g. between Durham and Wake) <br />Staff comments are as follows regarding the 3 aspects which are linked by number to the <br />aspects: <br />End points <br />The suggested corridor is known as Durham-Orange Alternate 4(D-O A4) which is a 17.4 mile <br />length between UNC Hospitals and Alston Avenue which is east of Duke and Durham downtown. <br />The approximate cost is $1.4 billion or over $80 million a mile. The other alternates are shown in <br />Attachment B, all with mobility, socio-economic, land use and financial rankings. Staff believes <br />these end points of D-O A4 are appropriate because of the strong employment anchor UNC <br />hospital and university at the southern terminus within Orange County. <br />Durham-Orange Alternate 6 is another corridor segment that ranked well. This corridor is 10 <br />miles from Gateway (east of Blue Cross-Blue Shield) to Alston Avenue estimated at $750 million <br />dollars (9/24/10). However, this alternate does not enter Orange County. <br />Alignment <br />Orange County staff agrees that the alignment near the southern terminus of the corridor near <br />UNC should be UNC(D) station. The alignment would allow for future LRT or BRT expansion to <br />the west into Carrboro. Other alignments closer to UNC hospital created more dead-end <br />scenarios, (Attachment C) <br />Orange County staff notes that two alignment options near and east of the Friday Center known <br />as C-1 (through Meadowmont) and C-2 (along the south side of NC 54 past future Hillmont) are <br />both challenging alignments from environmental, cost and traffic standpoints. C-1 has invoked <br />strong community concerns, as well as from DENR, in regards to the traversing of Jordan Lake <br />federal environmental lands. C-2 would be preferable to move forward since it parallels NC 54 <br />right-of-way. (Attachment D) <br />NC 54 is scheduled to be widened within this transit program planning horizon and fixed <br />guideway corridors or lanes should be part of design and highway investment. The farther this <br />NC 54 alignment can continue further to the east towards I-40 and Durham County based <br />redevelopment opportunities at Falconbridge Shopping Center, the greater potential to reduce <br />traffic on NC 54 by creating a travel mode shift from car to LRT, if the corresponding park and <br />ride (P&R) lots can be created. If the appropriately sized P&R lots cannot be found in this <br />corridor, then BRT is a better alternative to pick up passengers in the I-40/751/Southpoint and/or <br />NC 54/Woodcroft park and ride areas with direct transport to UNC area via the protected and <br />reserved BRT fixed guideway or mixed where necessary corridor. <br />Irrespective of the challenges noted with alignments C-1 and C-2, Orange County staff believes <br />that another alignment should also be studied within the existing corridor study area. The study <br />area presently includes socioeconomic data and traffic data along US 15-501 which could be an <br />