FTA OKs Triangle Transit's light-rail project development

Triangle Transit's request to enter the project development phase on a proposed 17-mile light-rail project in North Carolina has been approved, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced yesterday.

Triangle Transit requested entry into the FTA's New Starts program in December 2013. A Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) will be completed by January 2016, Triangle Transit officials said in a press release.

"We can now proceed to complete the environmental process, advance our engineering and make final alignment decisions," said Triangle Transit General Manager David King. "We will also use this time to strengthen our financial plan and work with our municipal and university partners on land use and housing issues around stations."

The development phase of the $1.34 billion project is scheduled to take two years, followed by three years of engineering and five years of construction, agency officials said.

The light-rail line would run from Chapel Hill to East Durham with proposed stops at University of North Carolina Hospitals and UNC, Mason Farm Road, Friday Center, Hillmont, Leigh Village, Patterson Place, South Square, Duke University, Duke University Medical Center, the VA Medical Center, downtown Durham and Alston Avenue/NC Central University.