Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
North Carolina

North Carolina Republicans Launch 11th Hour Attack on Durham-Chapel Hill Light Rail

Republicans in the North Carolina legislature are trying to snuff out an 18-mile light rail project, approved by voters in Chapel Hill and Durham. Map: GoTriangle

A budget bill heading for a vote in the North Carolina statehouse this week could sabotage a light rail project for the Research Triangle region that's on the verge of construction.

About $148 million has already been spent on planning and engineering for the 18-mile light rail route connecting the fast-growing job hubs of Durham and Chapel Hill. Local voters in Durham and Orange counties voted in 2011 and 2012 to raise sales taxes by half a percent to pay for the $2.5 billion project.

Go Triangle, the regional transit agency, was planning to apply for $1.2 billion in federal support next year. Construction would then begin in 2020.

But inside the budget bill from the state's Republican supermajority is a passage that would make "a light rail project" ineligible for state funding unless all federal and local funding has been secured.

That creates an impossible Catch-22, because the Durham-Chapel Hill light rail project can't access federal funds unless state and local contributions have been secured. The state had previously pledged to contribute 10 percent, or $247 million.

Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, could veto the budget, but a unified Republican vote in the legislature would override him.

Democrats from Orange and Durham counties point out that the measure would harm some of the state's largest economic centers. Three of the state's 10 biggest employers are located along the route.

"It’s the spiteful mentality,” Penny Rich, vice chair of the Orange County Commission, told the Herald Sun.

Republicans in the statehouse have tried to scrap the project before. Originally, the state was expected to chip in about a quarter of the funding. An earlier GOP attempt to kill would have limited state funding for the project to $500,000, and that was later revised to cover 10 percent of project costs.

The passage in question cannot be removed from the budget bill. An up or down vote is expected this week.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: The London Neighborhood Where Bikes Outnumber Cars

...and how they got to that impressive milestone.

July 11, 2025

Friday’s Headlines Battle Galactus

Like the Marvel supervillain, U.S. interstate highway system seems to eat up everything in his path. A new book explores how to stop it.

July 11, 2025

New Report Shows Pedestrian Fatalities Drop — But Experts Say Not Enough

The Governors Highway Safety Association report showed a 4 percent drop in the number of pedestrian deaths last year, putting a slow on a dangerous trend — but advocates say the drop isn't nearly big enough.

July 11, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: Localities Subsidize the State DOT

Adie Tomer of Brookings on how to improve regional coordination around infrastructure.

July 10, 2025

Five of the Ugliest Transportation Policies In the ‘Big, Beautiful’ Bill

Here's a rundown of some of the transportation provisions in the Republicans' reconciliation package, and what they might mean for your community.

July 10, 2025

Viva La Thursday’s Headlines

Why is French transit ridership up 10 percent since before the pandemic, while American transit ridership is down 23 percent?

July 10, 2025
See all posts