Research Triangle Region Cuts Back Highway Widening Plans

The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) in February approved a 30-year regional transportation plan that eliminates previously planned road widening projects.

Richard Stradling reports for the News & Observer on the shift in transportation planning in the Research Triangle region. Specifically, according to Stradling, the 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan eliminates proposals to widen the Durham Freeway near Research Triangle Park and to convert sections of U.S. 70 and U.S. 15-501 into expressways.

In the place of those automobile infrastructure projects, "the plan calls for spending more on transit, including increased bus service and new bus rapid transit lines," reports Stradling. "It also places more emphasis on bike lanes, crosswalks and sidewalks used by cyclists and pedestrians."

"The plan is meant to support goals pushed by the public and adopted by the MPO’s board that include eliminating fatal crashes, reducing carbon emissions to zero and ensuring that everyone has access to affordable transportation," explains Stradling.

The newly approved plan goes further by promising to end all new "major roadway projects" by 2040. Until then, the MPO is still planning on a few highway investments, namely the widening of Interstates 40 and 85 in Orange County from four to six lanes [paywall].