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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="color:#2B579A;background:#E6E6E6"><img width="325" height="73" style="width:3.3833in;height:.7583in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image002.jpg@01D9CBA4.D29A4160" alt="Title: City of Durham Communications Department"></span><span style="font-size:1.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:5.0pt;color:#00467E"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin-bottom:0in;text-align:right;line-height:normal;text-autospace:none;vertical-align:middle">
<b><span style="color:#00467E">News Media Contact<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin-bottom:0in;text-align:right;line-height:normal;text-autospace:none;vertical-align:middle">
<span style="color:#00467E">Amy Blalock, Assistant Director<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader" align="right" style="text-align:right"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#00467E"><a href="mailto:CommsMedia@DurhamNC.gov">CommsMedia@DurhamNC.gov</a></span><span style="font-size:5.0pt;color:#00467E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader" align="right" style="text-align:right"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#00467E"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:50.0pt;color:#00467F">News Release</span><span style="color:#00467F;text-transform:uppercase">
</span><br>
<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#EF3D42">For Immediate Release: August 10, 2023<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black">Durham Awarded Federal Grant to Plan New East Durham Mobility Hub</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span class="normaltextrun"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">Future Village Transit Center to create a new mobility hub near The Village Shopping Center</span></i></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="color:black"> </span></span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="color:black">DURHAM, N.C. – A federal grant will cover costs to plan for a new mobility hub to better serve people who travel in a busy area of East Durham.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:black">What You Need to Know</span></b><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="color:black;margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
Durham awarded $292,500 federal grant to draft Phase I plans for a new Village Transit Center (VTC) mobility hub.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="color:black;margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
If constructed, VTC would be in East Durham <span style="color:windowtext">where Holloway Street, North Miami Boulevard, and Raynor Street intersect at
</span>The Village Shopping Center which ranks second after downtown’s Durham Station for the most GoDurham passengers.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="color:black;margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<span class="normaltextrun">A future VTC would provide new accommodations for people with disabilities, comfortable waiting areas, quick stops, and reliable bus arrival times.</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="color:black">The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recently
</span></span><span class="normaltextrun">announced a $292,500 grant from the<span style="color:black">
</span></span><a href="https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/grants/grant-programs/fiscal-year-2023-areas-persistent-poverty-aopp-project-selections">Areas of Persistent Poverty program</a><span class="normaltextrun">
</span><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="color:black">to the City of Durham to fund a draft plan for the new Village Transit Center (VTC)
</span></span><span class="normaltextrun">near <span style="color:black">The Village Shopping Center in East Durham.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="color:black">Just east of downtown, this area was selected because it ranks
</span></span><span class="normaltextrun">second <span style="color:black">after Durham Station for the most GoDurham passengers with more than 3,200 people riding the GoDurham Route 3
</span>family of services <span style="color:black">each day. At daytime peak, 45 passengers may ride Route 3 in one hour, compared to an average of 27 per hour for GoDurham as a whole. It was also chosen due to GoDurham rider feedback shared in a spring 2021
survey which reported complaints about accessibility challenges and safety concerns.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="color:black">According to Transportation Director Sean Egan, a future VTC in East Durham could provide new accommodations for people with disabilities,
comfortable waiting areas, quick stops, and reliable bus arrival times. “We h</span></span><span class="normaltextrun">ave more than 1,500 daily boardings at the Village, and with this award, we take the next step toward providing facilities with shelter,
seating and lighting along with access to </span><a href="https://gotriangle.org/durham-connect">Durham Connect</a><span class="MsoHyperlink">,</span><span class="normaltextrun"> and other mobility services for people to complete the first and last miles of
their trips,” <span style="color:black">Egan said.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span class="normaltextrun"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="color:black">The total estimated cost for Phase I of the VTC is
</span></span><span class="normaltextrun">$365,625, and local funding for project planning is included in the City of Durham Transit Fund.<span style="color:black"> Phase I will include preliminary recommendations for amenities, transit center, and access to
transit design considerations, transit operational changes, conceptual layout design, and planning-level cost estimates.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="color:black">The future VTC for East Durham is also part of the citywide
</span></span><a href="https://www.durhamnc.gov/4372/GoDurham-Better-Bus-Project">Better Bus Project</a><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="color:black">. In</span></span><span class="normaltextrun"> 2021<span style="color:black">, Transportation staff
</span>began to <span style="color:black">ident</span>ify <span style="color:black">
projects that could provide equitable access to transit, increase pedestrian safety and better connect people to businesses, trails, and greenways.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="color:black">A new mobility hub also aligns with the City’s
</span></span><a href="https://www.durhamnc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/41944/Durham-CNRE-Action-Plan-UPDATED-100821-1">Carbon Neutrality and Renewable Energy Action Plan</a><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="color:black"> which encourages solutions to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2040. Currently, GoDurham buses on Route 3 can sit idle at stops on Raynor Street while waiting for their departure time. According to Egan, that could change if a VTC is constructed since chargers could be installed allowing
electric buses to recharge during down time. Eventually, the VTC could also include micro-mobility services like scooters, bike share, and technology that improves trip plans and arrival announcements.
</span></span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="color:black">The FTA grant award is for the creation of a draft plan as well as real estate and market analysis. If
</span></span><span class="normaltextrun">funding from other sources can be secured for future phases, including final design and construction<span style="color:black">, the VTC could be completed with</span>in the next five years. Updates will be posted on
the department’s </span><a href="https://www.durhamnc.gov/4406/Holloway-Street-Corridor-and-Village-Tra">project webpage</a><span class="normaltextrun"> as planning develops.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span class="normaltextrun"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span class="normaltextrun"><b><span style="color:black">About the City of Durham Transportation Department</span></b></span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The <a href="https://www.durhamnc.gov/1002/Transportation">
Transportation Department</a> is responsible for a broad range of transportation services, which include traffic signs and signals, transportation planning, transportation demand management, parking operations, street lighting, taxicab administration and bicycle
and pedestrian planning. The department works to increase transportation choices as well as local and regional connectivity by planning for and securing funds for highways, public transportation, and bicycle and pedestrian improvements. As guided by the City’s
Strategic Plan, the department helps to strengthen the foundation, enhance the value, and improve the quality and sustainability of neighborhoods that are necessary for a strong and diverse community. The provision of a sound transportation system is critical
to maintaining a strong economy.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center">###<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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