The Council considered signing a cooperative agreement with GoTriangle on November 28th to support the plan to run light rail between Duke, Durham and UNC Hospitals. After hearing from a number of constituents all of whom expressed concerns with the agreement, the Council identified a number of gaps and possible changes, and asked the Manager and attorney to submit another draft in early December or later.
We presented a letter signed by CHALT leaders and a growing number of people who are concerned about the impacts of light rail construction and operations on Chapel Hill neighborhoods and environs. Concerns range from noise,
The agreement is a necessary step for Gotriangle, the regional organization tasked with putting together the request for state and federal funds. Since construction will occur in Chapel Hill, an agreement is needed but the Council decided more work is needed. They requested a side by side comparison with the Durham Agreement which offered many more specifics.
It is CHALT’s view that GoTriangle has not demonstrated the ability to effectively manage a project of this size and scope. Elected Board members have consistently complained about the lack of transparency, timeliness, and competence at almost every meeting. At the November 28th Town Council meetings two members asked GoTriangle why their questions had not been answered. A GoTriangle spokesman said that their agency had assumed the Council was “on board” even before they reviewed documents.
Due to changes in the federal and state funding landscape combined with rising costs, the non-federal funding partners will be hamstrung by this project, leaving them unable to support and expand infrastructure and services to address the broader municipal and county transportation needs. In ES-2, the true costs for the local governments are not stated. The true cost must include the anticipated $850-$900 million in interest payments, which brings the total to $3.3 billion. Read more here.
*The Durham-GoTriangle Cooperative Agreement
Memo describing Durham Council work toward a full-funding agreement
**Chapel Hill ECP application: https://www.townofchapelhill.org/home/showdocument?id=3166