Durham Gets $12M Grant for Holloway Street Bus Route
In about two years, work is set to begin on a federally funded project along Durham’s Holloway Street to address the high traffic fatality rate, sidewalk gaps, and a dearth of bus stop amenities.
The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded Durham a $12 million grant through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program. The project is identified as Holloway Street: Safe Access to Durham’s Busiest Transit Route.
During a virtual news conference announcing the grant awards, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said: “In Durham, North Carolina, Holloway Street is the city’s busiest bust route, even though it currently lacks the infrastructure to make it safe and easy for people to walk, bike, or roll to the bus. So, we’re awarding $12 million to help the city build curb ramps, improve their intersections, upgrade bus stops, build sidewalks, and add pedestrian trails so that people can reach the bus safely.”
Between 2017 and 2021, the project area saw 46 recorded pedestrian crashes. Three were fatal and four resulted in serious injuries.
“This federal grant award is going to help us make it safer and easier for our community members living in this area to get to GoDurham bus stops, help GoDurham riders feel more comfortable and secure waiting for the bus, and make a series of pedestrian safety improvements, including new sidewalks and people-focused intersections,” said Mayor Leonardo Williams in a city news release. “This corridor provides our East Durham residents with vital access to commercial, economic, and public services, such as grocery, retail, food, health services, and the U.S. Post Office. Better sidewalks, crosswalks, and bus stop benches are just a few ways we hope to help this community thrive in the Bull City.”
Sean Egan, Durham’s transportation director, the project makes things safer and more accessible on GoDurham’s Route 3/3B/3C, which has 3,291 weekday riders – the city’s highest ridership.
“While transit ridership is robust in this area, safe connections to the route and bus stop amenities are lacking,” Egan said. “Most stops are without shelters and there are barriers to access like sidewalk gaps. Our project aims to provide safe, dignified access to transit for our residents in the communities along this corridor.”
The transportation department used local funds to hire professional services for design, environmental permitting, and construction documents. Construction should start in 2026 and is expected to be finished in 2027.
“Some of these projects are not the multi-billion-dollar projects that drive national headlines, but every one of them is essential to the community where it’s happening.,” Buttigieg said. “And when you add up these and the other thousands and thousands of projects moving forward across the country, they add up to a national transportation system that is getting significantly safer, more sustainable, and more efficient to move both people and goods.”
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