Under a plan approved by the Town Council on Monday, some sort of fixed guideway system could connect eastern Chapel Hill with Carrboro and the north part of town with Southern Village.
But the plan remains in the preliminary stages. Town and regional planners still haven't decided if they want bus or rail service, and the location of the lines remains in flux. "(The council) has to start somewhere," said George Cianciolo, who sits on the town's transportation board.
Federal transportation and air quality regulations mandate that the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee adopt a long-range plan by Feb. 28, though town planners said they are about a month behind schedule. In the interim, the plan must go through two public comment periods and inspection by state and federal agencies.
Future transportation improvement programs will use the 2025 plan as a guide. The council recommended the mass-transit-heavy plan from among five proposals brought forward by TAC. The other proposals included far fewer local transit options.
Other elements of the council's recommended plan include fixed guideways from Durham to Chapel Hill along U.S. 15-501 and from Chapel Hill to Research Triangle Park along N.C. 54. The guideways could be rail lines or roads open only to buses.
Locally, the plan shows mass transit lines along Airport Road and South Columbia Street between Interstate 40 and Southern Village. Another line starts at I-40 and runs along U.S. 15-501 and Franklin Street to Carrboro.
One item of contention came over a line connecting UNC Hospitals with Carrboro. As presented, the plan showed a line running north along South Columbia Street and then turning west on Cameron Avenue toward Carrboro.
But after some discussion about trafficking more people to the downtown district, the council chose to include Franklin Street in the westward options. From Carrboro, the line would run to Carolina North -- a satellite campus UNC plans to develop on the Horace Williams tract.
David Bonk, the town's principal transportation planner, said that when it comes time to choose between bus, rail or another system, the town has several options at its disposal. He said many communities around the country have even opted for a streetcar-type system. "It is really a throwback to the streetcar systems of the early 20th century," said Bonk.
