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19 <br /> <br />opportunities, particularly in Orange County. The Orange County Transit Plan contemplated this <br />change. A change in the location of a station requires consultation with the Board of <br />Commissioners, but it does not require action. <br /> <br />The second proposed station change was the addition of a station at Blackwell and Mangum <br />Streets in downtown Durham. The Orange County Transit Plan requires that the addition or <br />elimination of any station must be approved by the Orange County Board of Commissioners, <br />Durham County Board of Commissioners, and DCHC MPO Policy Board, and the GoTriangle <br />Board. The Durham County Board of Commissioners will consider the item on December 11th, <br />and both the MPO Policy Board and the GoTriangle Board will consider the addition on <br />December 13th. <br /> <br />GoTriangle staff has supplied the attached memorandum to provide additional information on <br />the proposed Blackwell/Mangum station. The station is intended to improve access to the <br />Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC), Durham Bulls Athletic Park, and other downtown <br />Durham attractions. <br /> <br />The Blackwell/Mangum station was not originally included in the project because it was not <br />technically feasible given the three-car platform length featured in the original design. As part <br />of the engineering process, GoTriangle revisited the three car platform concept and has <br />reduced the platform size to a two car platform. The shortened platform length represents a <br />cost 1 savings, but it allows sufficient room for the system to navigate between historic buildings <br />in the downtown Durham area, making the Blackwell/Mangum station technically feasible. <br /> <br />The addition of the Blackwell/Mangum station is expected to yield a net gain of approximately <br />600 trips per day according to GoTriangle’s regional ridership modeling. The new station is <br />expected to cost approximately $2.5 million, which is less than the estimated $8 million to shift <br />the Gateway station to the west. The new station costs less because it does not require any <br />changes to the rail alignment. The proposed Gateway update requires the addition of track and <br />a shift in the rail alignment while the new Blackwell/Mangum station is positioned along the <br />current rail alignment. GoTriangle staff report that the new station will add approximately <br />$150,000 in annual operations and maintenance costs and add less than a minute to end to <br />end travel time. <br /> <br />If the Blackwell/Mangum station is approved, it will be submitted for reevaluation by the Federal <br />Transit Administration (FTA) in January. If the FTA requires additional environmental analysis, <br />GoTriangle will complete that process prior to an amended Record of Decision from the FTA, <br />which is anticipated to be completed by the fall of 2019. <br /> <br />FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no additional cost associated with this consideration. The <br />addition of the Blackwell/Mangum station to the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit project must <br />be accommodated within the current project budget. <br /> <br />Travis Myren said Durham County approved this last night, and the Go Triangle Board <br />will be discussing this item tomorrow. <br />Matthew Clark, GoTriangle Government Affairs Manager, made the following <br />PowerPoint presentation: <br /> <br />Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit Project <br />Orange County Commissioners December 12, 2017