Reimagine Durham Freeway (NC 147) Study

[bob7374]

The City of Durham's 'Reimagine Durham Freeway' study has, based on 2 rounds of public engagement, narrowed its possible options to 3:
1. Boulevard Conversion Option: Replaces the freeway and interchanges with a street-level boulevard that prioritizes neighborhood connection and public spaces.

2. Freeway Cap / Land Bridge Option: Upgrades the existing freeway and reconnects communities by constructing land bridges and caps that create new spaces above the freeway.

3. Freeway Modernization Option: Upgrades the existing freeway infrastructure to improve safety and traffic operations while reducing the footprint in specific downtown segments.

There will be an additional public meeting in November before the options are presented to public officials, planning angencies and the NCDOT. More about the study can be found at:
https://www.durhamnc.gov/5231/Reimagine-Durham-Freeway-Study

[The Ghostbuster]

I would support the Freeway Modernization Option. I could also get behind the Freeway Cap/Land Bridge Option as well. I would strongly oppose the Boulevard Conversion Option (as I oppose freeway-to-boulevard conversions in general). I strongly believe Durham can achieve its goals without tearing out the NC 147 freeway.

[Henry]

I would support the Freeway Modernization Option. I could also get behind the Freeway Cap/Land Bridge Option as well. I would strongly oppose the Boulevard Conversion Option (as I oppose freeway-to-boulevard conversions in general). I strongly believe Durham can achieve its goals without tearing out the NC 147 freeway.

I feel the exact same way.

[Beltway]

Anytime an agency uses the word "reimagine" you can know they are thinking and acting stupidly.

The idea of tearing out a 72,000 AADT urban freeway and replacing it with a boulevard, under the banner of "repairing past injustice", is not just economically reckless, it's geometrically incoherent. The Durham Freeway (NC 147) isn't some underused remnant; it's a vital artery. And the numbers back it up.

Boulevard conversion is estimated at $350–800 million, depending on scope. That includes demolition, land reclamation, new utilities, transit infrastructure, and surface street redesign.

Freeway modernization is far cheaper. While exact rehab costs aren't published yet, similar upgrades (resurfacing, safety improvements, pedestrian crossings) typically run $30–50 million for corridors of this scale.

So rehabbing the existing 4-lane freeway would be dramatically cheaper, preserve throughput, and avoid rerouting 70,000+ vehicles into surface gridlock.

The "symbol of injustice" framing is a rhetorical sleight of hand. It shifts the debate from functionality and cost to morality and optics, allowing officials to justify a teardown that would: Choke regional mobility, displace congestion into neighborhoods, drain hundreds of millions from other infrastructure needs.

[Evan_Th]

I support the Freeway Modernization Option, too.  The Freeway Cap, I expect, would be more expensive than it's worth.  The Boulevard Conversion Option would just dump tons of traffic on that boulevard and make it almost as burdensome to cross as the freeway.

[jdunlop]

I support the Freeway Modernization Option, too.  The Freeway Cap, I expect, would be more expensive than it's worth.  The Boulevard Conversion Option would just dump tons of traffic on that boulevard and make it almost as burdensome to cross as the freeway.

I was literally the only member of the public to attend a public meeting last month.  The City was ending that round of the process, and held three (relatively minor) meetings that week.  I didn't get the impression that the other two were heavily publicized or attended, either.

While I understand the desire to "undo" everything that happened to years ago, the "fix" of a boulevard might be just as disruptive as the original freeway construction.  Tying the grades back to a surface rod will not be easy.  I expressed an opinion that a modernized freeway would likely be the best way to proceed.  A boulevard with two way traffic and full movement signals, would be very tough to cross, and create a lot of stalled traffic that, IMO, would be worse than having the freeway remain.  There's opportunities to make more connections between the south side of the freeway and downtown (north side) and also provide better connectivity and safer traffic and pedestrian operation.

[1995hoo]

I always disliked downtown Durham in general, aside from the Bulls' ballpark. The Downtown Loop, in particular, made navigation a pain and North Carolina's stupid ban on left turns on red meant you spent too much time sitting at red lights. I've long thought that tearing up the Downtown Loop and restoring a more rational street grid would benefit that part of Durham more than getting rid of the Durham Freeway would, although I recognize the political concerns that make them want to focus on what they perceive as making amends with black neighborhoods.

[Alex4897]

Assuming a scenario in which the Durham Freeway is scaled down to something at-grade and ignoring opinions on freeway removals, wouldn't I-885 and I-85 just absorb most of the thru traffic being displaced? Having passed through the area a number of times, it seems like there's a lot of extra capacity around the north side of the city, though admittedly I'm not familiar with the rest of the area's traffic patterns.

[Beltway]

Assuming a scenario in which the Durham Freeway is scaled down to something at-grade and ignoring opinions on freeway removals, wouldn't I-885 and I-85 just absorb most of the thru traffic being displaced? Having passed through the area a number of times, it seems like there's a lot of extra capacity around the north side of the city, though admittedly I'm not familiar with the rest of the area's traffic patterns.

I would be hesitant. 20 year traffic forecasts may indicate heavy usage of both freeway routes.

North Carolina experienced major population growth between 2010 and 2020. The state's population grew by 9.5%, reaching 10.4 million in 2020. This was the sixth largest numeric gain among all U.S. states.

The estimated 2025 population is 11.2 million residents, with another 7.7% increase in 5 years.

About 55% of the growth is in the central section of the state with the 4 major cities, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Durham, Raleigh.

North Carolina's population growth from 1980 to 2025 has been massive, percentage increase: 90.5%. That's nearly a doubling of the population in just 45 years. On average, North Carolina's population has grown by about 15.3% every decade from 1980 to 2025. That's a strong, sustained pace, especially for a state that's gone from tobacco fields and textile mills to tech hubs and booming metros.

[jdunlop]

Assuming a scenario in which the Durham Freeway is scaled down to something at-grade and ignoring opinions on freeway removals, wouldn't I-885 and I-85 just absorb most of the thru traffic being displaced? Having passed through the area a number of times, it seems like there's a lot of extra capacity around the north side of the city, though admittedly I'm not familiar with the rest of the area's traffic patterns.

I'd imagine that more through traffic that hasn't already moved to I-885/85 will if the freeway is downgraded.  However, NC 147 is the main road heading to Duke University and (more important for this) Medical Center.  I'd expect that the freeway portion would remain from I-85 to about Swift/Broad, which provides access to the hospital from the west, coming around 885/85 to that section would be considered too long for emergencies.
Right now, I believe the AADT on the section around downtown to be ~70K, and drops once past Fulton (main Duke hospital exit.). That volume would be hard to relocate.

[BrianP]

Assuming a scenario in which the Durham Freeway is scaled down to something at-grade and ignoring opinions on freeway removals, wouldn't I-885 and I-85 just absorb most of the thru traffic being displaced? Having passed through the area a number of times, it seems like there's a lot of extra capacity around the north side of the city, though admittedly I'm not familiar with the rest of the area's traffic patterns.

I'd imagine that more through traffic that hasn't already moved to I-885/85 will if the freeway is downgraded.  However, NC 147 is the main road heading to Duke University and (more important for this) Medical Center.  I'd expect that the freeway portion would remain from I-85 to about Swift/Broad, which provides access to the hospital from the west, coming around 885/85 to that section would be considered too long for emergencies.
Right now, I believe the AADT on the section around downtown to be ~70K, and drops once past Fulton (main Duke hospital exit.). That volume would be hard to relocate.

With the completion of I-885, what would be a significant source of through traffic for the NC 147 portion of the Durham Freeway?

[1995hoo]

Assuming a scenario in which the Durham Freeway is scaled down to something at-grade and ignoring opinions on freeway removals, wouldn't I-885 and I-85 just absorb most of the thru traffic being displaced? Having passed through the area a number of times, it seems like there's a lot of extra capacity around the north side of the city, though admittedly I'm not familiar with the rest of the area's traffic patterns.

I'd imagine that more through traffic that hasn't already moved to I-885/85 will if the freeway is downgraded.  However, NC 147 is the main road heading to Duke University and (more important for this) Medical Center.  I'd expect that the freeway portion would remain from I-85 to about Swift/Broad, which provides access to the hospital from the west, coming around 885/85 to that section would be considered too long for emergencies.
Right now, I believe the AADT on the section around downtown to be ~70K, and drops once past Fulton (main Duke hospital exit.). That volume would be hard to relocate.

With the completion of I-885, what would be a significant source of through traffic for the NC 147 portion of the Durham Freeway?

Mapping software sending people that way, for one. I just asked Google Maps for a routing from the old Occoneechee Speedway to Carter–Finley Stadium and it gave I-85 to the Durham Freeway to I-40 to Wade Avenue as the preferred routing both for shortest distance and shortest travel time.

Also, take note of his point about Duke Hospital. I lived just east of there when I was in law school (the old Central Campus Apartments, which have now been torn down). Getting between that area and I-85 was a pain because of the road configuration. You either looped around to the west via the US-15/501 interchange and the Durham Freeway, or you used Hillandale Road (becomes Fulton Street) as a more direct (but sometimes slower) connection. Coming from the east, the Durham Freeway has that exit for Trent Drive, which is slightly more direct (fewer traffic lights). As jdunlap notes, access to Duke Hospital—and, for that matter, the VA Medical Center located directly across the street—is a hassle if you use I-85. Coming from the west, you just exit onto the Durham Freeway and then exit at Fulton Street. Using I-85 to Hillandale is a seriously inferior option.

[Dirt Roads]

With the completion of I-885, what would be a significant source of through traffic for the NC 147 portion of the Durham Freeway?

Most of the traffic using the Durham Freeway as a through route either comes from the northern part of Hillsborough or the Pleasant Green section of Eastern Orange County (which technically has a Durham address).  Surprisingly, a goodly portion of that traffic comes out of Virginia from the US-29 corridor via NC-86 (which includes a sliver on the Virginia side as VA-86).  Most of that traffic from Danville should be using the NC-86 Truck Route around the west side of Hillsborough to grab I-40, but they stick to the shorter route.

I occasionally take the East End Connector (I-885) around Durham when downtown Durham traffic is heavy, but that situation is rare.  I-885 was never intended as a bypass of Durham using I-85, but rather as an access to Research Triangle Park from Granville and Vance counties along I-85 northeast of Durham.  Using I-85 and I-885 as a bypass of the downtown section of the Durham Freeway (NC-147) runs fast most of the day, but still takes at least 10 minutes longer than heading through downtown.

[Dirt Roads]

Also note that [southbound] traffic the southern section of the Durham Freeway (that part of I-885) runs very slow (or stop-and-go) for much of the morning rush and pretty much all of the evening rush.  If I-40 is not an option for me, I'll waste up to 10 minutes or more on the downtown portion of the Durham Freeway (NC-147) just to get planted in the left lanes way ahead of the single lane merge onto I-40 eastbound.  Heading back this way, its no big deal to take I-885 if one needs to avoid downtown traffic.