Durham Station Transit Area

Transit Areas and Corridors



What the project will do: evaluate downtown bus routes to and from Durham Station and recommend street improvements that reduce delays and make the bus more reliable.

Where: downtown streets surrounding Durham Station.

Project Overview

Project Goal: develop design concepts for transit priority improvements. The bus priority projects may include improvements, such as traffic signals, pavement markings, and signage that will improve bus speed and reliability.

Between 2021 and 2022, the project team will:

Planning Phase
  • Review existing bus stop speed and reliability conditions (e.g., average speed the bus travels throughout the bus route; how often the bus arrives on time)
  • Identify conditions such as one-way streets, on-street parking and delivery zone conflicts, and routing that slow the bus down and make it difficult for the bus to arrive on time
  • Develop an equitable approach for evaluating and prioritizing bus priority improvements
  • Evaluate and prioritize locations for bus priority improvements based on input from the community
  • Recommend locations for bus priority improvements, outlined in a “Durham Station Area Bus Priority” report
  • Finalize locations for bus priority improvements based on input from the community, summarized in a “Final Durham Station Area Bus Priority” report 
Design Phase
  • Develop conceptual designs for bus priority improvements, outlined in the “Final Durham Station Area Bus Priority” report, that will be part of future design and construction projects.


Project Schedule

Schedule: Planning from April to September 2021, Design from October 2021 to March 2022

WHAT IS THE DURHAM STATION TRANSIT AREA?

The Durham Station Transit Area includes the downtown streets where GoDurham bus routes converge as they enter and exit Durham Station. Traffic congestion, curbside conflicts, and limited right-of-way in this area present a growing challenge to bus speed and reliability for many GoDurham routes. The City will design bus priority improvements in the Durham Station Transit Area that improve service for bus riders across the City. 

WHAT IS BUS SPEED AND RELIABILITY?

Bus speed: The ability of the bus to move along a route in a reasonable amount of time.

Bus reliability: The ability of the bus to regularly arrive at bus stops on time.

WHAT IS A BUS PRIORITY PROJECT?

Improvements that prioritize the bus such as:

  • more “green” time for the bus at traffic lights
  • better bus stop locations, where the bus can safely stop and easily return to the travel lane  
  • more space dedicated to buses
  • signage and pavement markings

Background

Bus speed and reliability issues are especially acute on the downtown streets where GoDurham bus routes converge as they enter and exit Durham Station. Traffic congestion, curbside conflicts, and limited right-of-way present a growing challenge in downtown Durham. The City will develop conceptual designs for bus priority improvements and street reconfigurations to address bus speed and reliability issues in this congested area.

Previous and Ongoing Studies

Current Documents

Coming Soon.