Rain Delays Main Street Bridge Completion

Mother Nature is affecting the progress on the N.C. Department of Transportation project to replace the Main Street bridge over Campus Drive in Durham. It  serves as the main link between Duke University’s East and West Campuses.

A $1.9 million contract was awarded to replace the 63-year-old bridge with a structure that meets current design standards, including a higher clearance over Campus Drive.

The work was expected to take 130 days from its May 13 start, but because of issues with all the rainy weather the area has had this summer, the project is now expected to wrap up in late October.

The project has Main Street closed at Buchanan Boulevard east of the bridge. Traffic on the other side is able to access Southgate Circle. The Campus Drive underpass is open to two-lane, two-way traffic and will remain so unless work activities require a closure, and that would be limited to between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Traffic has been routed around the closure:

• Drivers going east on Main Street will take Swift Avenue to the Durham Freeway (N.C. 147) to Chapel Hill Street (Exit 13) to Duke Street to Main Street;
• Drivers going west on Main Street will take Gregson Street to Chapel Hill Street to the Durham Freeway to Swift Avenue (Exit 14) to Main Street;
• Trucks going South on Gregson Street will take Peabody Street to Main Street to Buchanan Boulevard to Chapel Hill Street to the Durham Freeway to Swift Avenue.

All detour and bus routes for the City of Durham’s Bull City Connector and the Duke campus bus service will remain the same.   

NCDOT reminds motorists to watch for signs for construction information, stay alert and obey the posted speed limit, and would like to thank the traveling public for its continued patience during construction. 

The bridge replacement is part of a series of improvements made along more than a mile of Main Street, including resurfacing and the addition of bike lanes. About 12,600 vehicles a day use this stretch of Main Street.

For more information, please contact NCDOT Assistant Resident Engineer Jamal Atkins at rjatkins@ncdot.gov or (919) 220-4680.

For real-time travel information at any time, call 511, visit www.ncdot.gov/travel or follow NCDOT on Twitter at www.ncdot.gov/travel/twitter. Another option is NCDOT Mobile, a phone-friendly version of the NCDOT website. To access it, type “m.ncdot.gov” into the browser of your smartphone. 

Learn more about Durham at www.durham-nc.com.

Main Street Construction to Affect Bull City Connector and DATA Routes

When construction begins on Durham’s Main Street this month, the work will affect routing for the Bull City Connector, Durham's free downtown bus, as well as the Durham Area Transit Authority.
Buses will follow a different route around the Brightleaf Square/Duke University East Campus area from May 13th - September 2013. Click here to view the bus detour map.

The frequency of bus service will change during the detour:

Bull City Connector Route Changes:

Weekdays (Monday-Friday)
6:20 A.M. to 3 P.M. Service every 20 minutes
3 P.M. to 6 P.M. Service every 15 minutes
After 6 P.M. Service every 25 minutes

Saturdays
7:20 A.M. to Midnight Service every 25 minutes

Holidays (Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day)
7:20 A.M. to 10 P.M. Service every 25 minutes

Stops eliminated during the detour include:
Main St. at Campus Dr. (Eastbound & Westbound) (GoLive Stop #’s 6380 and 6389)
Main St. at Morgan St. (Eastbound & Westbound) (GoLive Stop #’s 5163 and 5433)
Main St. at Gregson St. (Eastbound & Westbound) (GoLive Stop #’s 5637 and 6387)

Alternate temporary stops will be at:
Main St. at Duke St. (Eastbound) (GoLive Stop #6642)
Gregson St. at Brightleaf (Westbound) (GoLive Stop #6336)

A downloadable map of the Bull City Connector detour is available online at bullcityconnector.org. An interactive map will be available beginning May 13.

Questions about the detour can be directed to the GoTriangle Regional Information Center at (919) 485-RIDE (7433).

DATA Route Changes:

DATA Route 5 stop closure
Due to construction, DATA’s stop #6442, served by Route 5 ‘Fayetteville St/NCCU/Southpoint’, will be closed until further notice.Passengers catching the outbound bus can utilize the very next stop, which is about 100 yards away, on E Lakewood Ave at Fayetteville St (near the Kerr Drugs store).

DATA 9B
The end of route and start of route timepoint at Northern High School will now always be the stop across the street from the school. There are no changes to the schedule.

The current stop #5668 in front of Northern High will be eliminated. The stop across the street from Northern High will be renamed (from #5407 Tom Wilkinson Rd at Goldston Ave to #5407 Tom Wilkinson Rd at Northern HS. We will also add a stop, in the direction headed downtown, #5434 Milton Rd at Long Crescent Dr .

DATA 11
The outbound timepoint #1105 Erwin Rd at VA Hospital will no longer be served by Route 11. The timepoint will be moved to #5228 Fulton St at VA Hospital. There are minor changes to the schedule.

Other Changes

Duke GoPass holders to show DukeCard ID starting April 1
Beginning April 1, Duke students, faculty and staff must show a valid DukeCard ID when using their GoPass on Triangle Transit and Durham Area Transit Authority buses. Riders without DukeCards will be asked to pay the corresponding bus fare for the route.

New Parking Access at Durham Station (American Tobacco Campus - North Deck)
Effective March 1, 2013 The American Tobacco Campus (ATC) parking decks require new access stickers. This will be in effect Monday- Friday from 8am-5pm.

ATC Park and Ride customers in Triangle Transit’s current customer database that have not exchanged the old card must come to the Regional Transit Center for a new sticker. Please bring identification, return your old parking access card and update your contact information. Customer Service window hours are 7:00am - 6:30pm (Mo-Fr) and 8:00am - 4:30pm (Sa).

All questions about the new parking access should be directed to ATCParking@triangletransit.org or call (919) 485-RIDE(7433).