In a letter sent on February 27, the university said there was a possibility the line could interfere with its medical facilities located within 45 metres of the proposed alignment.
GoTriangle had chosen a joint venture of Gannett Fleming and WSP as construction management consultant for the project in April 2018. The 28.5km line would connect North Carolina Central University in Durham with UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, serving 18 stations - nine with park-and-ride facilities - and running on a dedicated alignment. Services would operate at 10-minute headways in the peak and every 20 minutes at other times.
Duke University listed a number of reasons for its objection to the line, including the risk of electromagnetic interference (EMI), vibration, potential disruption to power and other utilities, and the liability it would be required to bear. It said it was not possible to complete the extensive and detailed due diligence needed before the deadlines imposed by the federal and state governments that was required to satisfy its legal, ethical and fiduciary responsibilities.
“The current LRT Erwin Road alignment consequently bears extremely high risk for the critical research we do and the patients we are sworn to protect,” the university said. “We’ve tried very hard to make this work, doubling down on those efforts over the past several months; but the imposed deadline leaves us without the time needed to determine with confidence that the risks can be mitigated to an acceptable degree.”
GoTriangle said the university’s decision was disappointing as it had been working alongside local elected officials and the university to address its concerns.
“This is a major setback for the Durham and Orange county communities and the entire Triangle region,” the authority said. “GoTriangle will work with the elected officials in Durham and Orange counties and the Federal Transit Administration to assess all available options and decide upon a course of action.”
NCRR lease
GoTriangle received a second letter on February 27 from the state-owned North Carolina Railroad (NCRR), which owns part of the transport corridor the line will be using, raising concerns about the current level of design completed.
The plan, which is 20% complete, proposes installing a double track, electrified light rail system along a section of the NCRR corridor, adjacent to the NCRR main line operated by Norfolk Southern.
“The near term goal of our engineering teams is to determine all of the details necessary to fit the new tracks, supporting below ground retaining walls, bridges, electronic control systems, stations, and electric overhead wires within approximately 13 metres of space laterally spanning both Pettigrew Street and the NCRR corridor,” NCRR says.
“Safety of the freight and Amtrak trains, pedestrians, and riders remains a primary concern for NCRR, therefore we are unable to approve the plans in their current stage as the basis of a signed lease.”
NCRR said it required full plans, or at least 65% completed plans, to procced with signing the 100 year lease, and said a number of other issues including the lease fee, the performance guarantee payment provisions and indemnification also needed to be resolved.
GoTriangle said it would be carefully reviewing the letter and assessing potential impacts on the project.
