Officials begin planning for light rail

The opening of a controversial light rail in Orange County is likely still more than a decade away — but transit officials have now moved into a $30 million planning phase.

During the phase, which will last 30 months, transit planners will evaluate specifics of the light rail’s route and environmental impact using funding from the county’s half-cent sales tax increase that went into effect April 1.

The tax, approved by voters in November, is expected to generate about $5 million a year — half of which will go toward the creation of the 17.3 mile light rail connecting UNC Hospitals to East Durham.

Questions of funding

Bonnie Hauser, president of the rural advocacy organization Orange County Voice, said she worries the study will be irrelevant by the time the county starts building the light rail — a transit system she says is already outdated.

“As far as these studies, the plan we are working on is already out of date,” she said. “The real question to me is what is going to happen to the money we’ve put aside if federal funding can’t be secured.”

According to plans for the light rail, 25 percent of the capital costs for the project will be paid by Orange County, 25 percent by the state government and 50 percent by the federal government.

Triangle Transit has already applied for federal funding. The Federal Transit Administration will look at financial liability, environmental impact and demand to determine the merit of the project.

And while transit officials won’t know whether the project will receive federal money for several years, Hauser said she is doubtful the light rail will get the money it needs.

“When they started studying transit, light rail was the panache, but that was 20 years ago, and today light rail is no longer popular and it’s too expensive,” she said. “There are larger towns farther up in line, and their projects are more justified because their cities are bigger.”

Hauser said she thinks a bus rapid transit system would be more likely to receive federal funding.

Bus rapid transit uses bus lanes and priority signaling at traffic lights to provide faster service in dense areas — for a portion of the cost of a light rail.

‘A major variable’

David King, CEO and general manager of Triangle Transit, said if the project doesn’t receive federal support, county officials and the transit board will re-evaluate the light rail.

“If we don’t get a light rail, we still have to find something to accommodate the growing population,” he said.

Orange County Commissioner Barry Jacobs said the county is not changing anything yet regarding plans for the light rail.

“Nothing will change without the consent of the elected officials who represent the voters who voted for the half-cent tax,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs said over time, more and more of the tax will be dedicated to the light rail.

“Buses will always be a part of the tax to some degree, but the light rail is projected to be the bulk of the spending,” he said.

King said following the 30-month planning phase, Triangle Transit will begin designing the light rail.

He said Triangle Transit hopes to begin construction in the early part of the next decade and open the light rail in 2026. But he said receiving federal funding is imperative to the project.

“A major variable is whether the federal government will fund it, though,” he said. “They won’t make the commitment to fund the project for several years — they only give you feedback on the merits of the project.”

King said the light rail system would solve a problem but is a financial risk for the county.

“What motivated the decision to move forward with this is that growth in Durham and Orange counties over the next several decades is certain,” he said. “If we grow, we have to figure out how people are going to get around.”

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.