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Improve mobility and connectivity for people who walk, bike, use transit, and drive.
Lead Department/Agency: North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) (State-owned roads)
Participating Department: City of Durham Transportation
Design Contractors: Stantec, Brick & Story, and Just Cities Collective
Scroll down to see upcoming engagement events and sign up for updates! Project DescriptionResurfacing is an opportunity to restripe roadways to improve safety for people who walk, bike, use transit, and drive. Resurfacing occurs on State and City-owned and maintained roadways to improve and preserve pavement conditions. However, because this project uses roads that already exist, improvements are limited to changes to pavement paint markings. For example, you can improve or add bike lanes and crosswalks, but this project will not allow you to address needs beyond the width of the road, such as building a new sidewalk.
In addition to the resurfacing of Roxboro St. and Mangum St. by NCDOT, the Transportation Department is conducting a study that analyzes current traffic patterns, speeds, volumes, and crashes to determine the feasibility of converting the current one-way paired streets to two-way traffic flow.
Project LimitsSTATE ROADWAYSFROMTORoxboro St. (US 15-501 Bus N)I-85 InterchangeLakewood Ave.Mangum St. (US 15-501 Bus S)Markham Ave. Lakewood Ave.- Feasibility Study: January - June 2024
- Coordination with NCDOT: June - July 2024
- Engagement Phase 1: January 2023 - May 20, 2024
If the two-way conversion concept is approved by NCDOT:
- Anticipated Design: August 2024 - May 2025
- Anticipated Engagement Phase 2: Spring 2025
- Anticipated Construction: May 2026 - May 2027
A design team - Stantec Engineering, Brick & Story, and Just Cities Collective - was hired by the City of Durham to conduct field investigation and traffic analysis, and hold initial engagement meetings with stakeholders for the State-owned & maintained roadways. They began data collection in November 2023 and are in the traffic analysis and engagement phase.
Project InformationStreet HistoryRoxboro and Mangum streets are a one-way pair system that connects vehicular traffic between NC 147 and the downtown area to I-85 and North Durham.
The image below shows the 500 block of N Mangum St south-facing in the 1920s (photo courtesy Durham County Library). Mangum Street had a two-way traffic flow with a street car running down the middle.
The one-way pair system for Roxboro St. and Mangum St. was implemented in 1959, a period when downtowns across the country were being downsized in favor of suburban retail centers, and downtown streets were reconfigured to carry traffic through the city center as fast as possible.
Converting roads to one-way pair systems was popular in the 1950s as part of the urban renewal movement, which encouraged residents to move farther from the city center, and the roads through the city center were used mainly for commuting.
The one-way pair system encourages speeding because there is less friction for drivers. The Transportation Department’s study is focused on the feasibility of converting the streets to two-way traffic flow.
In the past 15 years, Downtown Durham and the neighborhoods surrounding it have become more residential-oriented, leading to a greater need to slow traffic on these streets for better multimodal access and safety for vulnerable users, such as pedestrians and bicyclists.
With the opening of the East End Connector in 2022, about 20% of the traffic that used Roxboro St. and Mangum St. was diverted, and the lower volumes now allow for changes to lane utilization along Roxboro St. and Mangum St. roads.
The two-way conversion was recommended by the Move Durham Transportation Study, which was approved by City Council in 2020.
Demographic ScreeningThe Roxboro St. and Mangum St. results from the N.C. Equity & Transportation Disadvantage Screening Tool can be viewed here.
FundingThis study is City-funded through the Capital Improvements Program.
community engagementBeginning in February 2024, City staff will host two public open houses and four pop-up events to discuss Roxboro St. and Mangum St. resurfacing project and two-way conversion study. Planners and engineers will attend these events to explain the work, gather feedback, and answer questions.
Interactive Comment MapSubmit Roxboro St. and Mangum St. comments on this interactive web map by 5/20/2024.
The public can drop in at any time during the scheduled open house event. A Spanish interpreter will be present, please contact [email protected] if other language assistance is needed.
LocationDateTimeGlobal Scholars Academy, gymnasium (311 Dowd St.)Tuesday, March 12, 20246:00 PM to 7:30 PMDetails coming soon!----Pop-Up EventsThe public can drop by anytime during the scheduled pop-up event. Spanish interpreters will be present at the Compare Foods event and be accessible by phone at all other events. Please contact [email protected] if other language assistance or accommodations are needed.
LocationDateTimeDurham Farmers' Market (501 Foster St.)Saturday, February 17, 2024 10:00 AM to 12:00 PMCompare Foods (2000 Avondale Dr.)Sunday, February 18, 20241:00 PM to 4:00 PM Earth Day Festival, Transportation Expo (Central Park, 501 Foster St.)Sunday, April 21, 20249:00 AM to 6:00 PMBimbé Cultural Arts Festival (Rock Quarry Park, 701 Stadium Dr.)Saturday, May 18, 20241:00 PM to 7:00 PM
