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35 <br /> o Seven day per week service to RDU Airport <br /> o More frequent express trips between Durham and Raleigh <br /> o More frequent service between Chapel Hill, southern Durham, and RTP <br /> Over the remaining 20 years of the transit investment plan, it is estimated that the <br /> sales tax will raise enough revenue to fund an additional 27,000 bus hours of service <br /> per year that will be phased in over the life of the plan. The resources will be used to <br /> continue to meet the plan's four goals as jobs and residences shift. When light rail <br /> and commuter rail services begin operation in later years of the plan, bus services will <br /> be shifted to avoid service duplication and to connect people with the rail stations. <br /> Small Capital Projects <br /> An estimated $15 million in small capital projects supporting the Durham County bus <br /> network are also included in the Durham County Bus and Rail Investment Plan. The <br /> projects should be completed in the first three to five years. They include: <br /> • Park-and-Ride lots in northern Durham County and various other locations of the city <br /> • Four new neighborhood transit centers <br /> • Three transit emphasis corridors (sidewalks, shelters, and transit signal priority) <br /> • Pedestrian accessibility and amenities improvements at the 200 most-used bus stops <br /> Please see spreadsheet— Durham County Bus Improvements, Section IX. <br /> B. New Light Rail Service <br /> The Durham County Bus and Rail Investment Plan provides funding for a fixed guideway <br /> transit system that serves Durham and Orange Counties using Light Rail technology (LRT). <br /> The 17-mile alignment extends from the University of North Carolina (UNC) Hospitals to <br /> Alston Avenue in East Durham. A total of 17 stations have been proposed including a <br /> station next to the Dean Smith Center, the Friday Center, as well as a potential station at <br /> Meadowmont in Chapel Hill. Stations in Durham include Patterson Place along US 15-501, <br /> the South Square area, at Duke Medical Center and VA Medical Hospital, Ninth Street and <br /> downtown Durham, with convenient access to nearby bus and Amtrak intercity rail <br /> connections. Light Rail service characteristics and the type of activity centers and <br /> neighborhoods being served along the corridor dictate light rail station spacing of <br /> between % mile and 2 miles. <br /> Light Rail vehicles are electrically powered and travel at speeds up to 55 mph. The total, <br /> end-to-end, travel time for the 17-mile alignment is about 35 minutes including stops. <br /> The vehicles are approximately 90 feet long, can operate in both directions, and can be <br /> coupled with additional cars as ridership demand increases. Initial 2035 projections <br /> indicate that ridership will exceed 12,000 boardings per day. As with all long range <br /> projections, this estimate is subject to change as the ridership forecasting model is refined <br /> and validated. <br /> Page 16 <br />