Council hears community-led vision for Durham Freeway: boulevard, caps or modernization under study

City transportation staff presented a community-led vision study for the Durham Freeway (NC-147), outlining three corridor concepts — conversion to an at-grade urban boulevard, selective "caps" or land bridges, and a modernization that tightens the freeway footprint while retaining limited-access function.

Assistant Transportation Director Evian Patterson said the study, branded "Pathways to Connection," began with outreach that emphasized the historical harms caused when the freeway cut through predominantly Black neighborhoods including Hayti, removing homes and businesses. "This study is rooted on a foundation" of prior plans and community input, Patterson said, listing Move Durham (2020) and Durham's 2023 comprehensive plan as framing documents.

Transportation Planning Manager Aaron Convery described the three corridor options and their tradeoffs. The boulevard conversion would remove limited-access lanes through the downtown segment and create sidewalks, transit access, slower vehicle speeds and up to 20'22 acres reclaimed for parks, housing, or other uses; the study's travel-modeling indicated regional traffic would shift to I-85 and I-40. The land-bridge option would preserve the freeway but build caps (identified candidate locations near Fayetteville Street, Mangum Street and west of Duke Street) to reconnect neighborhoods and create park or development parcels above the highway. The modernization option would retain the limited-access freeway but tighten its cross section and reclaim an estimated 14 acres for green infrastructure or a linear park.

Patterson and Convery gave order-of-magnitude cost ranges: the modernization concept roughly estimated at $350 million, the boulevard conversion at about $450 million, and caps at $450'$800 million depending on phasing and number of caps. The presenters stressed estimates are high-level and would be refined in subsequent engineering phases.

The staff-led engagement found strongest public support for the boulevard and cap options over a modernization-only approach. The presenters highlighted examples from other U.S. cities: Rochester'NY's removal of the Inner Loop and conversion to a boulevard, Denver's Central 70 partial lowering with a park above, and Winston-Salem's I-40 Business reconstruction as reference projects.

Tara Kinchen of Durham Next said the newly formed nonprofit would be willing to convene partners — including NCDOT, the Triangle regional planning organization, and regional transit authorities — to study engineering feasibility, funding options and partner roles. "Durham Next is willing to work with the staff of the transportation department to convene a group of transportation stakeholders," she said, and noted that institutional partners could help assemble the technical and financial analyses the project would require.

Council members asked technical and procedural questions. Several asked how NCDOT, which owns the freeway, would engage and what portion of costs the state might cover; staff said modernization aligns most closely with a traditional NCDOT project and that the department has been collaborating with NCDOT staff through the study. Council members also asked about ownership models for reclaimed acreage and stressed that any redevelopment must prioritize affordable housing and minimize displacement; staff said those policy choices would be critical in later project phases.

Next steps described by staff include finalizing the vision plan, continued coordination with NCDOT, and technical feasibility work. City staff indicated the vision plan could be completed by the end of the calendar year and that Durham Next and other institutional partners may help convene engineering and funding assessments.

Ending: Council members expressed broad interest in continuing the study and asked staff to bring further technical analysis and economic-impact information, including potential funding paths and ownership models for reclaimed land, before decisions about preferred alternatives are made.