Durham County approves purchase step to secure Durham–Roxboro rail corridor after months of public comment

Durham County commissioners voted to approve accepting state and private grants and to enter the state TIP agreement that will allow the North Carolina Department of Transportation to acquire the Norfolk Southern rail corridor between Durham and Roxboro, a 26‑mile corridor staff said is being acquired for future transportation and greenway uses.

The board approved by voice vote to sign a Great Trails state grant from the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and to authorize the budget and TIP agreement needed to proceed. Transportation Director Ellen Beckman told the board that two grants—the state parks grant of $500,000 and a $1,000,000 award to the East Coast Greenway Alliance that will be shared proportionately among the three local governments—reduce Durham County’s net outlay to $223,000 (about 1.7 percent of the total acquisition cost). "With those two grants our net cost ends up being $223,000," Beckman said.

Why it matters: staff and NCDOT said the acquisition is a unique opportunity to secure an uninterrupted 26‑mile corridor and retain flexibility for future transportation needs. Beckman said NCDOT has already completed extensive due diligence on the corridor on behalf of the project, including a title…