After some confusion on Orange County's position, plans for the light-rail line between Chapel Hill and Durham got unanimous approval this morning from a bi-county transportation committee.
Today's vote for a "Locally Preferred Alternative" route keeps the project on schedule to apply for a federal grant this year. It also moves the project along to another round of public hearings on environmental effects.
The approved route runs from UNC Hospitals to downtown Durham, and includes both the "C1" and "C2" alternatives for a segment between the Friday Center on N.C. 54 and a proposed development site on Farrington Road in Durham. The segment has generated considerable public comment due to its possible effects on a pristine bottomland.
In recent weeks, some Orange County officials had suggested a third route, avoiding N.C. 54 altogether and running the track through the U.S. 15-501 corridor. Orange Commissioners discussed route options until late Tuesday night before agreeing to support sending both C1 and C2 forward for environmental research.
However, when the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization's Transportation Advisory Committee met this morning, neither Orange County representative Alice Gordon nor alternate Bernadette Pelissier were sure just what they and their fellow commissioners had decided.
"We were talking about this probably until 11 o'clock at night," Gordon said. "Forgive us."
After some telephone calls for clarification, Gordon said Orange County was in favor of advancing C2 alone, because of its anticipated lesser environmental effects. Chapel Hill's Town Council is also on record favoring C2, but supports leaving both alternates open for a later decision.
Patrick McDonough, lead planner with Triangle Transit, said leaving both alternatives under study might avoid some later difficulties, particularly in negotiations to cross Army Corps of Engineers property.
Gordon said the Orange Commissioners are still interested in the U.S. 15-501 routing, but did not want it incorporated in the plans voted on today.
